Lloyd George Avenue
Encyclopedia
Lloyd George Avenue is an avenue
in Cardiff
, Wales
. Roughly one mile long, the road links the Inner Harbour of Cardiff Bay
to Cardiff city centre
and forms part of the A470 road
. It runs parallel to Bute Street
and the Butetown Branch Line
. Landscaping on the route was completed in 2000, and Collingdon Road was renamed after Liberal prime minister David Lloyd George
.
The original concept, a scheme by Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
(CBDC), envisaged the removal of the railway line along Bute Street to create a 'continental-style boulevard
' - initially named 'Bute Avenue' - with a Light Rapid Transit
system, a park and recreational facilities. The Welsh Office
required the CDBC to use the Private Finance Initiative
to construct Bute Avenue. Due to high costs, the LRT element of the project was abandoned, but a new road was built as part of a £120 million PFI scheme. After the wind-up of the CBDC in March 2000, all property rights and liabilities for the Bute Avenue project transferred to the Welsh Development Agency
.
In 2011 the Welsh Government revealed that the full cost of the PFI scheme, including its 25 year payback period, would be £188.8 million. This includes the 350 neighbouring houses, some shops, commercial development and a small section of new road surrounding Callaghan Square.
Although officials from the Welsh Development Agency and the City and County of Cardiff have examined various options for the completion of the original boulevard scheme, as of 2011 no progress has been made.
Avenue (landscape)
__notoc__In landscaping, an avenue or allée is traditionally a straight route with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each, which is used, as its French source venir indicates, to emphasize the "coming to," or arrival at a landscape or architectural feature...
in 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...
. Roughly one mile long, the road links the Inner Harbour of 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...
to 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...
and forms part of the A470 road
A470 road
The A470 is a major long-distance connective spine road in Wales, running from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It covers approximately 186 miles , over a zig-zagging route through the entirety of the country's mountainous central region, including the Brecon Beacons and...
. It runs parallel to Bute Street
Bute Street (Cardiff)
Bute Street is a street in Cardiff, Wales. It links Cardiff Bay and Butetown with Cardiff city centre. It now has no road number...
and the Butetown Branch Line
Butetown Branch Line
The Butetown Branch Line, also known as the Cardiff Bay Line, is a commuter railway line in Cardiff, Wales from Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Queen Street...
. Landscaping on the route was completed in 2000, and Collingdon Road was renamed after Liberal prime minister David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
.
The original concept, a scheme by Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
The Cardiff Bay Development Corporation was set up by the United Kingdom Government on 3 April 1987 to redevelop of one sixth of the area of Cardiff to create Cardiff Bay.-Objectives:...
(CBDC), envisaged the removal of the railway line along Bute Street to create a 'continental-style boulevard
Boulevard
A Boulevard is type of road, usually a wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare, divided with a median down the centre, and roadways along each side designed as slow travel and parking lanes and for bicycle and pedestrian usage, often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery...
' - initially named 'Bute Avenue' - with a Light Rapid Transit
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system, a park and recreational facilities. The Welsh Office
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...
required the CDBC to use the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
to construct Bute Avenue. Due to high costs, the LRT element of the project was abandoned, but a new road was built as part of a £120 million PFI scheme. After the wind-up of the CBDC in March 2000, all property rights and liabilities for the Bute Avenue project transferred to the Welsh Development Agency
Welsh Development Agency
The Welsh Development Agency was a QUANGO and later an Assembly Sponsored Public Body established in 1976 to encourage business development and investment in Wales, to clear derelict land and to encourage growth of local businesses...
.
In 2011 the Welsh Government revealed that the full cost of the PFI scheme, including its 25 year payback period, would be £188.8 million. This includes the 350 neighbouring houses, some shops, commercial development and a small section of new road surrounding Callaghan Square.
Although officials from the Welsh Development Agency and the City and County of Cardiff have examined various options for the completion of the original boulevard scheme, as of 2011 no progress has been made.