Sixteen calamitous decisions by Cardiff Council

Working class heritage destroyed

March 2022

Cardiff Council give the strong impression that they don’t care about the cultural institutions of working class people in Cardiff.  They stand back, as famous much-loved pubs are demolished and replaced.  In one shameful example the council themselves were responsible for destroying an historic and culturally important community cafe - and refused to allow space for it in the replacement building.  

For many years the Paddle Steamer cafe has been an important community centre in Butetown, with a long history as a cultural venue.  When the council came forward with a plan to replace the cafe with a new building, including much welcome new social housing, pleas came from local residents, to allow the cafe to continue in the new block.  However, these were ignored by the council.  

The plight of the Paddle Steamer is part of a pattern of behaviour by Cardiff Council under its present leadership, to stand back, or even encourage the replacement of local cultural venues with money-making developments which shut out Cardiff culture.  

Examples include the Roath Park pub, where Cardiff Council failed to register the building as being of local historic importance or to create a conservation area.  Worse, the loss of the Gwdihw music venue and popular Thai House and Madeira restaurants on Guildford Crescent came about in large part because of Cardiff’s supplementary planning guidance, which encourages high rises in the city centre. The council did try to place conservation area status on the Crescent, but it was too little too late and the attempt failed.