The build of the new bus station will begin in the New Year

Work on Cardiff’s new bus station will start in the New Year after the Council’s Cabinet approved a new scheme and new funding approach on Wednesday, December 20.The approval will see a modern transport interchange that meets the needs of the Welsh capital city built in Central Square.The Council has been determined to deliver a Grade A* office-based scheme but until now it has proved impossible to sustain that ambition without securing a tenant in advance of construction.Over the past few months the Council has been working hard behind the scenes with Welsh Government to secure the office component of the development. As a result, an innovative joint-venture approach involving the Council, Welsh Government and the Council’s development partner, Rightacres, will allow offices to remain as part of the scheme.The Council Cabinet met in July and agreed to undertake a full review of the scheme and the funding arrangements. The scheme that has been developed delivers a much-improved design and includes a significant office component, more residential units and a new design for the car park. The ground floor bus station and retail units will remain unchanged.A new planning application will be required to approve the changes, but it is anticipated that the existing planning consent for the bus station element will enable an early start on site in the New Year.The joint venture that the Council has negotiated has enabled the office component to be retained within the development whilst allowing a start on site within the timescales announced in June by the new administration. Without this joint venture, it would have been necessary to rely on a mixed-use scheme comprising of an element of student accommodation and possibly a hotel. This is no longer the case.In due course, and as a result of the Council’s discussions with both the Welsh and UK Government, this same joint venture – extended to include UK Government, will deliver the wider Cardiff Central Interchange project, including the modernisation of Cardiff Central Station.Last week Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport, Ken Skates announced the Welsh Government’s commitment to enter into a formal joint venture with Cardiff Council and developer Rightacres to take this project forward.