Cardiff music board call to protect city scene

Calls have been made for a board to be set up to help safeguard music in Cardiff following the closure of one venue and another under threat.

Buffalo has closed, with owners citing business rate rises, while Gwdihw is also set to shut later this month after its landlord did not renew the lease.

Campaigner Daniel Minty said a board comprising councillors, MPs and music fans could help venues facing problems.

Cardiff Council said work on a music strategy was nearly complete.

Mr Minty, who writes a gig guide, said: "If grass roots music venues keep disappearing from our city centre, it sets the precedent they are not important."

In December, the Gwdihw owners were told by their landlord they had to leave the premises by the end of January, with plans to knock down the building for a new development.

Mr Minty started a petition against the move, which has been signed by 20,000 people. He hopes the council will thwart the landlord's plans by making it an area of special architectural interest.

He thinks the introduction of a board could help before things come to a head for venues.

"Venue owners can come with a problem way before it becomes a threat," he said.

He welcomed the local authority's £75,000 investment in developing a music strategy and said it shows it is committed to the music scene.

A council spokesman said: "This work is nearing completion and the strategy will be published when it is complete and has been approved by the council's cabinet."

On the closure of Buffalo, he added business rates are determined by central and the Welsh governments, and the local authority has no influence.