Guildford Crescent: Tower plan for demolished Cardiff venues

Developers want to build a 29-storey apartment block on the controversial city centre site where a music venue and restaurants once stood.

Guildford Crescent in Cardiff was mostly demolished despite a 20,000-name petition and a protest march by 1,000.

The Victorian terrace had been home to the Madeira and Thai House restaurants and music venue Gwdihw.

Developers Gallford Try are now in the early stages of seeking permission to build a block of 262 flats.

The facades are all that remain of the old buildings after the council approved demolition work for redevelopment in 2019.

Music fans opposed to the loss of Gwdihw hailed its support for new artists while other people complained Cardiff would lose one of its last remaining 19th Century city centre streets.

In the latest stage of the process, the developers have asked Cardiff council's planning department whether they need an environmental impact assessment because of the size of the proposed development.

A reply from the council's head of planning - which has been made public - said they did not need one.

Few details of the scheme are currently available as the developers have yet to submit a planning application.

However, at 29 storeys, the block would be one of the tallest buildings in Cardiff if formally proposed and approved, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Work is due to start soon on reopening a former dock feeder canal below the nearby Churchill Way as part of the council's proposal to create a "Canal Quarter".