Leckwith Development
Encyclopedia
The Leckwith development is in the Leckwith
area of southern
Cardiff
, Wales
. Work started in Autumn 2007 with the construction of a new stadium for Cardiff City F.C.
and Cardiff Blues
.
Completion of the development was planned for Spring 2010.
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen issues in construction across the two council owned sites, the football club incurred additional costs. This initially resulted in an agreement to lapse the development of the House of Sport until December 2010. In January 2009, with Cardiff City facing a winding-up order due to an outstanding £2.7M bill to HMRC, the club asked the council for permission to sell the residual 20acres to a developer.
The tenants are:
Boots
were also on the original list, however they have not officially signed up yet. It is believed that they will rent the 7A and 7B units.
Matalan
were named in an original planning application, but pulled out in March 2005.
and Cardiff Blues
rugby union
club since the 2009-2010 season. The stadium has been officially opened and special events for both the Bluebirds and Cardiff Blues have been held. It is the second largest stadium in Cardiff and also Wales (the largest being the Millennium Stadium
). Land clearance started on 21 February 2007. The total cost for the stadium was £29,000,000. Major construction firm, Laing O'Rourke
was contracted for the whole development.
The new athletics
stadium, built to replace the previous Cardiff Athletics Stadium
which was demolished to make room for the new rugby and football stadium. Construction started in March 2007. The athletics stadium is the only part of the development to not be built by the main contractor, Laing O'Rourke
and instead individual contractor, Cowlin Construction. The stadium will include a gym, meeting rooms, and several offices, which should be completed in the new year. Members of the public are now permitted to come and watch the events that are taking place on the track or field in the now completed stand. The track and field are now open for public use.
originally planned for the retail park to be built on the current site of the allotments. The older plots, which were then unused were covered in rock, which was then ground into smaller pieces, in early 2008. This still remains there and the rock will be used for the Leckwith development and will also be transported into Cardiff City Centre
for the St. David's 2
shopping development.
The plans later showed that the development would be moved slightly further away. The retail park now rests on the previous city farm site. Some of the currently occupied allotments, however still face demolition if the planned Academy of Sport goes ahead.
The unused plots at the entrance to the allotments will soon be the site for a new community centre for disabled children and people with learning disabilities, run by Cardiff-based charity, Vision 21
. This development was accepted by Cardiff Council
on 20 October 2008, in their most recent development control announcements.. This site will include a café, garden centre with a lot at the rear, and a small shop. For local businesses and residents, there will be offices and meeting rooms. The plans also show an energy saving centre and backpackers' overnight accommodation.
on 10 September 2009. Redrow will build 142 new homes on the site, but it will still be known as Ninian Park. It is proposed at the centre of the new housing development will be a planted square, in the area of Ninian Park’s centre spot. It is also possible that street names of Cardiff City legends are being considered, though this is yet to be decided. The first show home of the £24m development will be opened by late spring 2010. The housing will be a mixture of terraced, detached and semi-detached houses.
Leckwith
Leckwith is a district of western Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It is home to Cardiff City F.C.'s and Cardiff Blues home ground Cardiff City Stadium, and to Fitzalan High School...
area of southern
Cardiff South
Cardiff South or South Cardiff can refer to the collection of communities in the south of Cardiff, Wales. Although the usage is unofficial and boundaries are only ambiguously defined, they generally share the postcodes CF10, CF11 or CF24 and the telephone code 029...
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...
. Work started in Autumn 2007 with the construction of a new stadium for Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
and Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....
.
The proposal
The project consists of:- A new 26,828 seat stadium for Cardiff City F.C.New Cardiff City stadiumThe Cardiff City Stadium is a 26,828 all-seated sports stadium and concert venue in the Leckwith area of the capital, Cardiff, which is the home of Cardiff City Football Club who previously played at Ninian Park. The stadium is managed by Cardiff City Stadium Ltd., which is owned by Cardiff City...
- A 470000 sq ft (43,664.4 m²) retail park with 18 retail units
- A New athletics stadium to replace the recently demolished Cardiff Athletics StadiumCardiff Athletics StadiumThe Cardiff Athletics Stadium was an athletics and football stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It opened in 1989 and was demolished in 2007, replaced by the Cardiff International Sports Stadium....
- A new housing estate on the site of the current Ninian ParkNinian ParkNinian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
Stadium - A 70 room hotel with bar and restaurant
- A new Glamorgan Record Office which will house archives from the historic county of Glamorgan and worldwide genealogical resources.
Completion of the development was planned for Spring 2010.
Three way land-swap
To complete the deal, it involved a simple land-swap arrangement of existing facilities across three sites:- Cardiff Council gave a nominal 125year lease to Cardiff City on a 40acre block of land, on which the former Cardiff Athletics Stadium stood
- Cardiff City agreed to build a new athletics stadium on a further 20acre council owned plot north of the existing site
- On completion of the new athletics stadium, Cardiff City gained the 125 year rent-free lease. On half of the land they developed the new Cardiff City stadium and retail park
- The residual 20acres would be used for development of the new Glamorgan Records office (at the cost of the council), a hotel (build by the football club, which they could lease off) and the community sports facility House of Sport (built at the cost of football club, run by the council). If the football club failed to complete House of Sport development by December 2009, then the lease on the hotel would forfeit to the council
- The football club once the stadium had moved could sell the land of the former Ninian ParkNinian ParkNinian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
stadium for housing redevelopment
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen issues in construction across the two council owned sites, the football club incurred additional costs. This initially resulted in an agreement to lapse the development of the House of Sport until December 2010. In January 2009, with Cardiff City facing a winding-up order due to an outstanding £2.7M bill to HMRC, the club asked the council for permission to sell the residual 20acres to a developer.
Capital Retail Park
The Capital Retail Park or Capital Shopping in Leckwith, started building at the end of 2007 and originated from the idea of a new stadium for Cardiff City FC. The retail development has total of 18 retail units including Costco, Asda and M&S Home. It was completed Spring 2009 but some units still remain unoccupied.The tenants are:
| Unit(s) | Unit Size | Business | Opened | Current Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 & 2 | 12,500 m2 | Costco Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world... |
June 2008 | Open | |
| Costco Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world... Tyre Centre |
|||||
| 3 | 5,100 m2 | Asda Asda Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile... |
July 2008 | Open | |
| 4 | 930 m2 | Next Home | November/December 2008 | Open | |
| 5 | SCS | September 2008 | Open | ||
| 6 | 4,600 m2 | M&S Home | Spring 2009 | Open | |
| M&S Simply Food | Spring 2009 | Open | |||
| 7A | To Let | ||||
| 7B | To Let | ||||
| 7C | Smyths Smyths Smyths is an Irish toy superstore chain founded c.1987, and the largest toy retailer in Ireland, claiming to have 60% of the €320M market. It is a family-run company, with four Smyth brothers running the business... |
October 2008 | Open | ||
| 8A | 700 m2 | Mamas and Papas | April 2009 | Open | |
| 8B | 700 m2 | Hobbycraft Hobbycraft HobbyCraft is the registered trademark of HobbyCraft Group Ltd., an arts and crafts superstore chain.It is the largest chain of craft superstores in the United Kingdom, and the first of its kind in Europe. Craft shops are traditionally small and based on specific crafts, whereas HobbyCraft stocks... |
October 2008 | Open | |
| 8C | Les Croupiers Casino | March 2010 | Open | ||
| 9 | DW Sports | September 2009 | Open | JJB Sports JJB Sports JJB Sports plc is a United Kingdom sports retailer. It currently operates 251 stores in the UK and Ireland.- History :The sportshop chain was founded in 1971, when ex-footballer Dave Whelan acquired a single sports shop in Wigan. The original store was established by JJ Broughton in the early... , November 2008 - September 2009 |
|
| DW Fitness Club | September 2009 | Open | JJB Fitness Club, November 2008 - September 2009 | ||
| The Pod | |||||
| 10A | Ladbrokes Ladbrokes Ladbrokes plc is a British based gambling company. It is based in Rayners Lane in Harrow, London owned by Bhavin Kakaiya. From 14 May 1999 to 23 February 2006, when it owned the Hilton hotel brand outside the United States, it was known as Hilton Group plc... |
May/June 2009 | Open | ||
| 10B | Greggs Greggs Greggs plc is the largest specialist retail bakery chain in the United Kingdom. It was established in the 1930s as a single shop but has approximately 1,500 outlets.... |
May/June 2009 | Open | ||
| 10C | Subway Subway (restaurant) Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011... |
May/June 2009 | Open | ||
| 10D | Game Game A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements... |
May/June 2009 | Open | ||
| 10E | Costa Coffee Costa Coffee Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over... |
May/June 2009 | Open | ||
| The Pod 2 | |||||
| 1 | Construction | ||||
| 2 | Construction | ||||
| 3 | Maplin Electronics Maplin Electronics Maplin Electronics is a retailer of electronic goods in the UK and Ireland. As of December 2010, there are 180 Maplin Electronics stores in the United Kingdom... |
July 2011 | Open | ||
| Annex units | |||||
| McDonalds Drive-Thru | September 2010 | Open | |||
| KFC KFC KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global... Drive-Thru |
Spring 2011 | Open | |||
| The Sand Martin Restaurant/Pub | April 2011 | Open | |||
| Pizza Hut Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread.... |
Late 2011 | Construction | |||
Boots
Boots UK
Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
were also on the original list, however they have not officially signed up yet. It is believed that they will rent the 7A and 7B units.
Matalan
Matalan
Matalan is a British retailer that specialises in shoes and clothes. It was founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. It currently has 200 stores across the UK. The 200th store opened on 22 September 2006 in Croydon...
were named in an original planning application, but pulled out in March 2005.
Cardiff City Stadium
The new stadium has 26,828 seats and has been to both Cardiff City F.C.Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
and Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club since the 2009-2010 season. The stadium has been officially opened and special events for both the Bluebirds and Cardiff Blues have been held. It is the second largest stadium in Cardiff and also Wales (the largest being 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...
). Land clearance started on 21 February 2007. The total cost for the stadium was £29,000,000. Major construction firm, Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978....
was contracted for the whole development.
Cardiff International Sports Stadium
The new athletics
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
stadium, built to replace the previous Cardiff Athletics Stadium
Cardiff Athletics Stadium
The Cardiff Athletics Stadium was an athletics and football stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It opened in 1989 and was demolished in 2007, replaced by the Cardiff International Sports Stadium....
which was demolished to make room for the new rugby and football stadium. Construction started in March 2007. The athletics stadium is the only part of the development to not be built by the main contractor, Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke
Laing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978....
and instead individual contractor, Cowlin Construction. The stadium will include a gym, meeting rooms, and several offices, which should be completed in the new year. Members of the public are now permitted to come and watch the events that are taking place on the track or field in the now completed stand. The track and field are now open for public use.
Glamorgan Record Office/Glamorgan Archives
The Glamorgan Record Office moved to a site behind the new football/rugby stadium from the Glamorgan Building in Cathays Park at the end of 2009. The newly renamed Glamorgan Archives offers facilities for visitors to search its 8.5km of archives relating to the historic county of Glamorgan, as well as conference space for workshops, lectures and school groups, and a modern paper conservation studio.Leckwith and Droves allotments and city farm
The allotments, located on Bessemer Road have been caught in the middle of the whole development. Cardiff CouncilCardiff 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...
originally planned for the retail park to be built on the current site of the allotments. The older plots, which were then unused were covered in rock, which was then ground into smaller pieces, in early 2008. This still remains there and the rock will be used for the Leckwith development and will also be transported into Cardiff City Centre
Cardiff city centre
Cardiff city centre is the central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bounded by the River Taff to the west, the Civic centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations - Central and Queen Street - to the south and east respectively...
for the St. David's 2
St. David's Centre
St. David's is one of the principal shopping centres in the city centre of Cardiff, capital of Wales. Located in The Hayes area of the southern city centre...
shopping development.
The plans later showed that the development would be moved slightly further away. The retail park now rests on the previous city farm site. Some of the currently occupied allotments, however still face demolition if the planned Academy of Sport goes ahead.
The unused plots at the entrance to the allotments will soon be the site for a new community centre for disabled children and people with learning disabilities, run by Cardiff-based charity, Vision 21
Vision 21
Vision 21 is a charity based in Cardiff, Wales, that helps people with learning disabilities so that they can look for careers in the future. Vision 21 has been running for over 20 years and has helped both adults and children to achieve better futures...
. This development was accepted by 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...
on 20 October 2008, in their most recent development control announcements.. This site will include a café, garden centre with a lot at the rear, and a small shop. For local businesses and residents, there will be offices and meeting rooms. The plans also show an energy saving centre and backpackers' overnight accommodation.
Ninian Park
The stadium was handed over to Redrow Homes by Cardiff City chairman Peter RidsdalePeter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale is an English businessman who is currently the Chairman of Football Operations at League Two club Plymouth Argyle. Ridsdale was previously the chairman of Leeds United, Barnsley and Cardiff City.-History:...
on 10 September 2009. Redrow will build 142 new homes on the site, but it will still be known as Ninian Park. It is proposed at the centre of the new housing development will be a planted square, in the area of Ninian Park’s centre spot. It is also possible that street names of Cardiff City legends are being considered, though this is yet to be decided. The first show home of the £24m development will be opened by late spring 2010. The housing will be a mixture of terraced, detached and semi-detached houses.
See also
- Ground improvements at British football stadiaGround improvements at British football stadiaA large number of English football clubs have ongoing schemes to redevelop existing grounds, or to move to newly constructed stadiums. A trend towards all-seater stadiums was initially prescribed by the Taylor Report, and was originally a condition only of Premier League admission...
- Cardiff Arms ParkCardiff Arms ParkCardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
- the former Cardiff Blues stadium - Ninian ParkNinian ParkNinian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
- the former Cardiff City stadium