Sixteen calamitous decisions by Cardiff Council

Ugly tower blocks disfiguring the city

Under its current leadership, Cardiff has seen a huge increase in tower blocks in the city centre.  Tower blocks have replaced parks and vibrant music venues and locally owned restaurants.   Cardiff Council has deliberately encouraged these developments through supplementary planning guidance, which is designed to encourage high rises.  

The worst example of this council policy, is the Zenith city centre tower block.  It was awarded the Carbuncle Cup by Cardiff Civic Society - having being voted by the public as the ugliest building in the city.

Despite this, the cabinet member for planning and the man responsible for the rules which encourage such buildings said he was “proud” of the eyesore. 

To change a position where the wrong buildings are built in the wrong place against the wishes of residents, the Civic Society’s Vision for Cardiff document proposes that the Council should:

• Convene Citizens Assemblies to consider both Strategic (regional) and Local Development Plans.

• Recognise that effective placemaking is bottom-up from residents as well as top- down by planners.

• Sign up to the Placemaking Wales Charter, which is backed by the Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)

• amend its supplementary planning guidance which encourages the development of unsightly sky scrapers in the city centre.