Cardiff council wants to buy land at Central Quay, the redevelopment of the former Brains Brewery site
Cardiff Council is seeking to purchase land at Central Quay off Penarth Road(Image: Cardiff Council)
Plans to build up to 730 more flats as part of a huge redevelopment project in Cardiff city centre will be discussed by city councillors this week. Central Quay is the ongoing redevelopment of the former Brains Brewery site off Penarth Road.
Cardiff council has confirmed that developer Rightacres is now selling the freehold of five plots of land at the furthest end of the development. The council said that buying the land could help it build affordable homes.
The proposal is for a mix of homes, including options for council housing and affordable accommodation. It could see 730 homes built at the site.
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Labour cabinet member Lynda Thorne said if the plan to proceed with the acquisition gets the go ahead on Thursday, feasibility work will be carried out to determine the mix, type and number of homes that can be delivered.
Cardiff council said the Welsh capital was in the midst of a “housing emergency” i December 2023, and the authority began looking at options to provide more homes.
While the council say it has made “significant progress” towards its target, it says more needs to be done.
The report going to councillors says this opportunity to buy the land at Central Quay is new, and could mean see between 500 and 730 homes built. A number of documents about the feasibility and costs are confidential and not being published.
If the Labour-run administration back the plans, further work would be carried out, the cabinet papers say.
It says “a number of high-level viability assessments have been undertaken to model a mixed development of social rented and private rented units” but adds “should the Council decide that none of the options to deliver private rented units are feasible, the base position of the delivery of social rented units across all plots would be implemented”.
Cllr Thorne said: “This acquisition represents our ongoing commitment to increasing the availability of affordable housing, ensuring that our city remains resilient in the face of the housing emergency.
“The limited availability and high costs in Cardiff’s private rented sector are among the key pressures driving that crisis, so this opportunity is particularly promising because, subject to feasibility work, it could allow us to offer homes for private rent at more affordable prices.
“Our housing services continue to experience severe pressures. Securing new development opportunities like Central Quay is a priority to ensure we maintain momentum in delivering affordable homes, supporting families and communities across the city.”
