Leckwith development

Coordinates: 51°27′50″N 3°11′56″W / 51.464°N 3.199°W / 51.464; -3.199 The Leckwith development is in the Leckwith area of southwest Cardiff, Wales. Work started in Autumn 2007 with the construction of a new stadium for Cardiff City F.C. and Cardiff Blues.

The proposal

The project consists of:

• A new 26,828 seat stadium for Cardiff City F.C.^[1]
• A 470,000 sq ft (44,000 m²) retail park with 18 retail units
• A New athletics stadium to replace the recently demolished Cardiff Athletics Stadium
• A new housing estate on the site of the current Ninian Park Stadium
• A 70 room hotel with bar and restaurant
• A new Glamorgan Record Office which will house archives from the historic county of Glamorgan and worldwide genealogical resources.

Completion of the development was planned for Spring 2010.

Three way land-swap

To complete the deal, it involved a simple land-swap arrangement of existing facilities across three sites:

• Cardiff Council gave a nominal 125year lease to Cardiff City on a 40acre block of land, on which the former Cardiff Athletics Stadium stood
• Cardiff City agreed to build a new athletics stadium on a further 20acre council owned plot north of the existing site
• On completion of the new athletics stadium, Cardiff City gained the 125 year rent-free lease. On half of the land they developed the new Cardiff City stadium and retail park
• The residual 20acres would be used for development of the new Glamorgan Records office (at the cost of the council), a hotel (build by the football club, which they could lease off) and the community sports facility House of Sport (built at the cost of football club, run by the council). If the football club failed to complete House of Sport development by December 2009, then the lease on the hotel would forfeit to the council
• The football club once the stadium had moved could sell the land of the former Ninian Park stadium for housing redevelopment

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen issues in construction across the two council owned sites, the football club incurred additional costs. This initially resulted in an agreement to lapse the development of the House of Sport until December 2010. In January 2009, with Cardiff City facing a winding-up order due to an outstanding £2.7M bill to HMRC, the club asked the council for permission to sell the residual 20acres to a developer.^[2]

Capital Retail Park

Capital Retail Park

The Capital Retail Park during construction

Asda supermarket

McDonald's restaurant

The Capital Retail Park or Capital Shopping in Leckwith, started building at the end of 2007 and originated from the idea of a new stadium for Cardiff City FC. The retail development has total of 18 retail units including Costco, Asda and M&S Home. It was completed Spring 2009 but some units still remain unoccupied.

The tenants are:

Boots were also on the original list, however they did not officially sign up. It was believed that they would rent the 7A and 7B units; however these units have since been rented by Next, where a large store carrying menswear, ladieswear, childrenswear and homewear is due to open in August 2012.

Matalan were named in an original planning application, but pulled out in March 2005.^[3]

Cardiff City Stadium

Canton End (left) and Grandstand of
Cardiff City Stadium

The new stadium has 26,828 seats^[1] and is home to Cardiff City F.C. club. The stadium also hosted the home matches of the Cardiff Blues rugby union team until the 2011–12 season. It is the second largest stadium in Cardiff and also Wales (the largest being the Millennium Stadium). The stadium cost £29,000,000, Laing O'Rourke was contracted for the whole development.

Cardiff International Sports Stadium

The main stand of Cardiff International Sports Stadium

The new athletics stadium, built to replace the previous Cardiff Athletics Stadium which was demolished to make room for the new rugby and football stadium. Construction started in March 2007. The athletics stadium is the only part of the development to not be built by the main contractor, Laing O'Rourke and instead individual contractor, Cowlin Construction.^[4] The stadium will include a gym, meeting rooms, and several offices, which should be completed in the new year. Members of the public are now permitted to come and watch the events that are taking place on the track or field in the now completed stand. The track and field are now open for public use.

Glamorgan Record Office/Glamorgan Archives

The Glamorgan Record Office moved to a site behind the new football/rugby stadium from the Glamorgan Building in Cathays Park at the end of 2009. The newly renamed Glamorgan Archives offers facilities for visitors to search its 8.5 km of archives relating to the historic county of Glamorgan, as well as conference space for workshops, lectures and school groups, and a modern paper conservation studio.

Leckwith and Droves allotments and city farm

The allotments, located on Bessemer Road have been caught in the middle of the whole development. Cardiff Council originally planned for the retail park to be built on the current site of the allotments. The older plots, which were then unused were covered in rock, which was then ground into smaller pieces, in early 2008. This still remains there and the rock will be used for the Leckwith development and will also be transported into Cardiff City Centre for the St. David's 2 shopping development.

The plans later showed that the development would be moved slightly further away. The retail park now rests on the previous city farm site. Some of the currently occupied allotments, however still face demolition if the planned Academy of Sport goes ahead.

The unused plots at the entrance to the allotments will soon be the site for a new community centre for disabled children and people with learning disabilities, run by Cardiff-based charity, Vision 21. This development was accepted by Cardiff Council on 20 October 2008, in their most recent development control announcements.^[5] This site will include a café, garden centre with a lot at the rear, and a small shop. For local businesses and residents, there will be offices and meeting rooms. The plans also show an energy saving centre and backpackers' overnight accommodation.

Ninian Park

Demolition of Ninian Park stadium and
construction of Ninian Park housing

Spar Family Stand Grange End Construction of new houses on Ninian Park

The stadium was handed over to Redrow Homes by Cardiff City chairman Peter Ridsdale on 10 September 2009. Redrow will build 142 new homes on the site, but it will still be known as Ninian Park.^[6] It is proposed at the centre of the new housing development will be a planted square, in the area of Ninian Park’s centre spot.^[6] It is also possible that street names of Cardiff City legends are being considered, though this is yet to be decided.^[6] The first show home of the £24m development will be opened by late spring 2010. The housing will be a mixture of terraced, detached and semi-detached houses.^[6]

See also

• Ground improvements at British football stadia
• Cardiff Arms Park - the former Cardiff Blues stadium
• Ninian Park - the former Cardiff City stadium

References

External links

• Cardiff City Stadium
• Glamorgan Archives
• Cardiff City F.C.
• Welsh Athletics

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