Green light for high-profile Cardiff developments

Two major Cardiff developments, a 32-storey student accommodation tower and a new office building for the UK government, have been given the green light.Boardroom Properties and Howells Properties, via agent Savills, have submitted an application to redevelop Hallinans House on Newport Road.The proposals cover the demolition of Hallinans House and construction of a new student accommodation building ranging between 11 and 32 storeys, arranged over four connected towers.The development would comprise 464 student bedroom as well as facilities including a communal entrance area, study spaces, laundry, media room and gym. Two ground floor commercial units will also be created.Howells Properties, a partnership made up of senior colleagues of Howells Solicitors, owns the existing building and the law firm occupies the bulk of the space. The scheme is designed to support its relocation to “more prestigious and suitable offices” in the city.Councillors voted to approve the plans at meeting of the planning committee yesterday (13 September 2017).A planning officer’s report discussed at the meeting said the scheme would create a “high-quality tall building” and a “landmark feature on a major junction”.Also approved at the meeting was an application from Rightacres Property Company for a 12-storey office block at its Central Square development, close to the BBC’s new Welsh base.The proposed building will provide about 265,976 sq ft of office space with a unit for retail and café use on the ground floor.Last month the UK government signed a 25-year lease on the building, which is now set to become home to more than 4,000 public servants from several UK government departments.This includes HMRC, who will run one of its 13 regional centres from the site, and the Office for the Secretary of State for Wales.The planning officer’s report said the development would provide a “high-quality prestige office development in the Cardiff Enterprise Zone”.The consent is subject to the signing of a section 106 agreement that would secure £1.2m towards the Central Square public realm works.