Cardiff International Sports Village

Cardiff International Sports Village is located in Cardiff Bay

Cardiff Bay

Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...

in the city of Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. It is one of the largest regeneration

Urban renewal

Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...

projects currently in the UK. It is a public-private

Public-private partnership

Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...

funded project.

The site currently has a 50-metre (164 ft) Olympic standard swimming pool, a temporary ice rink

Ice rink

An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...

and a white water canoeing and kayaking centre

Cardiff International White Water

Cardiff International White Water is an Olympic standard white water rafting centre based at the Cardiff International Sports Village in Cardiff Bay....

.

Upon completion, it will also have an indoor snow centre with real snow for skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

and snowboarding

Snowboarding

Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...

, and a hotel. It was envisaged to have a 220-metre (722 ft) observation tower and a super-casino

Casino

In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

, although both schemes are unlikely to ever to be realised. It is possible that some of the sporting facilities will be used as a training venue for the London 2012 Olympics along with the Millennium Stadium

Millennium Stadium

The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...

, which will host some of the football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

History of the site

In the early part of the 19th century Welsh coal

South Wales Coalfield

The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...

was in much demand throughout the world. Cardiff was the centre of this export trade, but it was under the control of the Bute family

Marquess of Bute

Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.-Family history:...

. In 1859, the Taff Vale Railway Company

Taff Vale Railway

The Taff Vale Railway is a railway in Glamorgan, South Wales, and is one of the oldest in Wales. It operated as an independent company from 1836 until 1922, when it became a constituent company of the Great Western Railway...

created a series of wharves in the mouth of the river Ely

River Ely

The River Ely is a river in South Wales flowing generally south east, from Tonyrefail to the capital city of Cardiff.-Course of the river:...

. By 1898 the site had a chain ferry

Cable ferry

A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....

(right) which gave Ferry Road its name. A subway

Subway (underpass)

In England and Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong and some Commonwealth countries , the term subway normally refers to a specially constructed underpass for pedestrians and/or cyclists beneath a road or railway, allowing them to reach the other side in safety.The term is also used in the...

was also created for dockers to travel to the site.

The Railway public house, named because of the criss cross of tracks over the site became known as the Red House. This well known inn was used as a beacon to navigate sea going craft until its recent demolition.

When the barrage

Cardiff Bay Barrage

The Cardiff Bay Barrage lies across the mouth of Cardiff Bay, Wales between Queen Alexandra Dock and Penarth Head. It was one of the largest civil engineering projects in Europe during construction in the 1990s.-History:...

was completed, the site became prime real estate again with a freshwater lake on the shore. This would eventually become the Cardiff International Sports Village.

Present developments

Cardiff Arena

This temporary ice arena has a capacity of 2,500 for ice hockey and is home to the Cardiff Devils

Cardiff Devils

The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team currently plays in the temporary Cardiff Arena...

. The prefabricated building was constructed in Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

and is operated by the private sector company Planet Ice. The rink finally opened on the 6th December 2006 following several delays. Design work on the new permanent rink started in September 2010, with construction due to begin in early 2011 subject to obtaining planning permission. The new arena, to be designed, built and managed by Planet Ice, is due to be completed by February 2012.

Cardiff International Pool

The Cardiff International Pool opened on 12 January 2008 and is a public-private

Public-private partnership

Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...

funded project partnership between Cardiff Council (land owner) and Parkwood Leisure (operator). Orion Land and Leisure and Explore Investments were also partners in developing the pool, however they have now pulled out of their wider agreement with Cardiff Council to develop the sports village site. Construction of the GB£32 million facility commenced in April 2006 and includes a 50 m (164 ft) 10-lane competition swimming pool with seating for 1,000 spectators, a 25 m (82 ft) 4-lane warm up/leisure pool, plus 4 flume rides

Flume

A flume is an open artificial water channel, in the form of a gravity chute, that leads water from a diversion dam or weir completely aside a natural flow. Often, the flume is an elevated box structure that follows the natural contours of the land. These have been extensively used in hydraulic...

, a beach area with water slide

Water slide

A water slide is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size...

s and a gym

Gym

The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...

. The building also features a rarely used sun terrace, accessed via the main competition pool area.

Cardiff International White Water

An Olympic standard white water rafting centre, Cardiff International White Water

Cardiff International White Water

Cardiff International White Water is an Olympic standard white water rafting centre based at the Cardiff International Sports Village in Cardiff Bay....

, opened on 27 March 2010 at the sports village. The 250-metre-long course, which cost £13.3 million, is the UK's first Olympic-standard pumped water canoe slalom course.

Pont y Werin

Costing approximately £5 million, Pont y Werin

Pont y Werin

Pont y Werin is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge spanning the River Ely between Cardiff Bay and Penarth, Wales....

(People's Bridge) is a bridge crossing the River Ely

River Ely

The River Ely is a river in South Wales flowing generally south east, from Tonyrefail to the capital city of Cardiff.-Course of the river:...

, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to travel between the International Sports Village (ISV) and Penarth

Penarth

Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...

. It has significantly enhanced non vehicular access to the site by allowing the public to travel to the ISV via Cogan railway station

Cogan railway station

Cogan railway station is a railway station serving Cogan in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. It is located on the Vale of Glamorgan Line 2¾ miles south of Cardiff Central on the way to Barry Island and Bridgend....

. It also completes the six and a half mile Bay circular walk. Construction of the 140 m (459.3 ft) pedestrian and cycle bridge, designed by Faber Maunsell and Holder Mathias architects, commenced in summer 2009 and it opened to the public in July 2010. The four main sections, which weigh between 38 and 46 tonnes, were lowered into place by the 1,200-tonne crane, the largest in the UK, in late March 2010. Funding for the new bridge came from the Welsh Assembly Government

Welsh Assembly Government

The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...

(£1.645m), Cardiff Council

Cardiff Council

The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council consists of 75 councillors, representing 29 electoral wards. The authority is properly styled as The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff or in...

(£1.3m), Sustrans (£1.15m), Cardiff Harbour Authority

Cardiff Harbour Authority

The Cardiff Harbour Authority was formed as part of Cardiff Council on 1 April 2000. It took over responsibility from Cardiff Bay Development Corporation for management of the barrage, the inland bay and the River Taff and Ely....

(£250,000) and £200,000 from the Vale of Glamorgan Council

Vale of Glamorgan Council

The Vale of Glamorgan Council is the governing body for the Vale of Glamorgan, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It is run by the Conservative Party after the United Kingdom local elections, 2008, taking over the council from no overall control....

. Sustrans used part of a £50m award it received from the Big Lottery Fund in 2007 after winning a national TV vote.

Residential developments

Existing residential developments include Victoria Wharf, Prospect Place and Waterside. Proposed residential developments included Bay Pointe

Bay Pointe

Bay Pointe was a planned housing development site located in the western area of Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales. The development was to be situated on the peninsula of Cardiff International Sports Village.-Original proposal:...

, which was due to include Wales’ tallest building. In December 2008 the developer announced that the original plans for the scheme were being scrapped due to the economic climate and difficult housing market, and that any future residential development on the site of the proposed towers was likely to be of a much lower density. However a new high rise development, put forward by a different developer, has since been granted planning permission which will include a 139m tall luxury hotel, apartments and ancillary retail/leisure units. The new development is called Bayscape

Bayscape

Bayscape is a planned skyscraper development in Cardiff Bay, Wales. Upon scheduled completion in 2013, the building would be Wales’ tallest building...

Retail

Two superstores with associated surface car parks have been constructed for the supermarket chain Morrisons

Morrisons

Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...

and the toy retailer Toys R Us. The Morrisons store also includes a petrol station next to the entrance of the car park. One further retail plot will be released in the future and it is likely that any future leisure schemes on site, such as Bayscape, will include at least some small retail units as part of a mixed use development.

Super casino

Cardiff Council

had bid for the single super-casino licence or one of 8 large casino licences being issued by the UK government, but was unsuccessful in both bids. Following its rejection the council had intended to continue to press for a licence to be granted, though this became irrelevant after the government eventually scrapped the legislation creating the casinos altogether.

Viewing tower

A 220 metre viewing tower providing panoramic views over South Wales and the Bristol Channel had originally been proposed for the ISV site. Due to insufficient funding stemming from the failure to win the super casino licence and later the economic downturn, the plans were shelved.

Road

The site is connected to the national road network via the Cogan Spur on the A4055

A4055 road

The A4055 is the main road link between Cardiff Bay and Barry.The road goes through the village of Dinas Powys and there has been a call for by-pass due to the volume of traffic from Barry to and from Cardiff...

and the A4232

A4232 road

The A4232, which is also known either as the Peripheral Distributor Road or the Cardiff Link Road , is a distributor road in Cardiff, the capital of Wales....

and then onto the M4 J33

M4 motorway

The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...

Rail

The nearest station is Cogan railway station

Cogan railway station

in Cogan, which is approximately 10 minutes away by foot. However, the nearest mainline station is Cardiff Central

Cardiff Central railway station

Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...

, adjacent to Cardiff Central bus station

Cardiff Central bus station

Cardiff Central bus station is the main bus transport interchange in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. With 34 stands, it is the largest bus station in the city and in Wales. It is located adjacent to Cardiff Central railway station forming a major bus-rail-cycle-taxi interchange.The station used...

Bus

Cardiff Bus

Cardiff Bus is the dominant operator of bus services in Cardiff, Wales and the surrounding area, including Barry and Penarth. Its hub is Cardiff central bus station...

operates the following services to the Bay:

9/9A - City Centre via Grangetown
35/36 - Gabalfa via Central Station, Cathays and Heath

Additionally, First Cymru

First Cymru

First Cymru Buses Ltd. is a provider of public transport bus services in South Wales. First Cymru was formed from a number of privatised former bus companies, including South Wales Transport. Its headquarters are in Penlan, Swansea...

operates route 87 to Dinas Powys and route 89 between Dinas Powys and Cardiff city centre.

Air

The nearest airport is Cardiff International Airport

Cardiff International Airport

Cardiff Airport is an international airport serving Cardiff, and the rest of South, Mid and West Wales. Around 1.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010....

, about 30 minutes away by road, or by rail on the Vale of Glamorgan line from Cogan railway station, which has frequent scheduled and charter flights to the UK, Europe, North America and Africa.

Government

The site is in the Grangetown

Grangetown, Cardiff

Grangetown is a community in the south of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is one of the largest districts in the south of the city and is bordered by Riverside, Canton and Butetown. The River Taff winds its way through the area...

ward, which is part of Cardiff Council.

Troubles with the project

In 2007 Cardiff failed in its bid to win a super casino license from the UK government. This was a significant blow to the project as the super casino was intended to be the focal point of the site, acting as a magnate for tourists and providing revenues to fund the village's sporting facilities. The opening of the temporary ice rink for Cardiff Devils

Cardiff Devils

The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team currently plays in the temporary Cardiff Arena...

was delayed by 2 months, forcing them to play home fixtures in other cities. Furthermore, in July 2008 it was announced by Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman

Rodney Berman

Rodney Berman, a Liberal Democrat Councillor for the Plasnewydd ward, is leader of Cardiff Council .A Glaswegian by birth, Rodney studied at the University of Glasgow where he helped run Glasgow University Liberal Democrats before moving to Wales to study towards a PhD.He has stood for election to...

that there is a £55m funding shortfall for phase 2 of the project, delaying the construction of the new permanent ice arena and "Las Vegas style" water feature.

On the 22 January 2009, Rodney Berman made a further announcement, saying all future projects, including the arena, snow box, bars, restaurants and hotel were on hold until the economic situation improved. This came after developers announced in December 2008 they had scrapped the flagship Bay Pointe

Bay Pointe

high rise apartment scheme,. These funding shortfalls served to underline the flawed nature of the project, being overly dependent on too few developments which were never certain to go ahead, such as the super casino.

In November 2010 it was revealed that Orion Land and Leisure, the private sector company co-developing the village with Cardiff Council, had pulled out of its agreement to develop the site. The reason for the split was not disclosed by either party. In spite of this setback however the council remained committed to the project; in order to kick start progress they invited private companies to submit their own proposals for individual development plots, so long as these fulfil the broad aims of the council in terms of specific sport and leisure provision.This marks a change of direction from the top down approach that was originally envisaged for the project, in which private companies were brought in to build and operate leisure and sports facilities predetermined by the council.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.