PORTERS, ONE OF THE FEW INDEPENDENT MUSIC VENUES LEFT IN THE CITY, IS SET TO BE KICKED OUT OF THEIR PREMISES NEXT YEAR
LANDLORD WANTS TO DEMOLISH THE MUCH-LOVED PUB AND ERECT A 35-STORY HIGH RISE IN ITS PLACE UNDER A BUILD-TO-RENT SCHEME
CITY LEADER HUW THOMAS SAYS THERE’S NOTHING THE COUNCIL CAN DO TO STOP THE LANDLORDS BUILDING A HIGH RISE WHERE THE POPULAR VENUE CURRENTLY SITS, BUT CAMPAIGNERS SAY HE HAS ENCOURAGED SKYCRAPERS IN CARDIFF.
The leader of Cardiff council, Huw Thomas, has said that elected officials in the city are powerless to stop the destruction of Cardiff’s culture against the wishes of powerful landlords. But a campaign group opposing the destruction of venues across Cardiff say his council has encouraged the kind of development which is killing off bars like Porters.
In a post online on Tuesday night, Mr Thomas said that the proposed development by the Draycott Group, which could see the popular Porters Bar evicted, has “nothing to do” with the council. Expressing personal opposition to the plans, he said: “To be clear, what is happening here is a private landlord looking to develop their own land, and giving their tenants notice at the end of their lease in 2022.”
He said that the eviction of the bar would likely have to take place and even said the council would assist in moving them out to a new location. “I have already been in touch with Porters, offering the Council’s help to work with them to find a new, permanent home,” he said.
The group Reclaim Cardiff, however, say the Porters decision came in a context “where developers are given free rein,” by the council. They point out that the council’s own guidance encourages skyscrapers because they add “significant value to Cardiff.” Any planning application would also have to be passed by the authorities in Cardiff for building work to commence.
Buy-to-Rent
The much-loved Cardiff pub was served notice this week to vacate the premises at the end of their tenancy because the landlord wants to build a skyscraper in its place.
Porters, located in Harlech Court, could be knocked down by developers as soon as October next year, depriving the city centre of a cherished venue for live music and theatre.
The proposed residential high rise that will take its place is set to be used solely for landlords.
Harlech Court, owned by the Draycott Group, will be the site of 350 apartments stacked 35 stories high, setting an imposing figure on the Cardiff city skyline.
But according to the developer’s website, the project will be a build-to-rent scheme, meaning that all of the properties within the high rise will go straight into the portfolios of big landlords without the chance of public sale.
Build-to-rent is part of a trend that has seen the housing stock of BtR properties in the rental market surge 135% since 2017.
In his statement, Thomas said these buildings were being built because “Cardiff is a growing city with a high demand for housing (and record high house prices).”
Big landlords are seeking to capitalise on the situation and develop at scale, especially as interest rates are low. Mr Thomas said the council’s development plan “strikes a balance” and strives for the “vitality” of the city centre as a “cultural destination to be maintained.”
But many in the city who have taken to the streets in recent years against venue closures say that the reality does not match the words, and Thomas himself says the council has “limited intervention powers” to save Porters.
Dwindling
The pub is one of a dwindling number of independent live music venues in the city.
In February 2019, Gwdihw on Guildford Crescent was also shut down along with two historic Cardiff restaurants, when the landlord decided it would be more profitable to let developers build on the land. The council said it was powerless to intervene even after over 1,000 marched in protest.
It was recently announced that developers want to erect a 29 storey apartment tower on the site where Gwdihw once stood.
In April 2017, it took a huge campaign to save Womanby St having all of its nightlife premises shut down and turned into hotels or flats.
In his statement on Tuesday, Huw Thomas appeared to say that elected councillors are powerless to stop these venues being lost if they fall on private land. It is a blunt statement about the state of democracy in Cardiff and the lack of power people have over the spaces that they cherish and want to keep.
The council do have some power however, as they will have to approve whether or not planning permission is granted to proposed Porters re-development, which is set to be the tallest building in Wales if it’s built.
But campaigners say that the political will is not there to challenge big landlords in the first place, and that the Labour run council have created the conditions under which the slow destruction of culture and heritage is now taking place.
The group Reclaim Cardiff, point out that supplementary planning guidance from 2017 tells councillors: “They [high rises] can enhance skylines and provide recognisable landmarks that can serve to promote the city on a national and international stage.”
Even when the council does own the land, however, heritage has been a focal point for opposition against developments. The Paddle Steamer, an historic cafe in Butetown, is set to be demolished to make way for social housing, but the community have said their pleas to keep a space for the cafe in the new development have been ignored.
The Butetown Matters group said yesterday that Huw Thomas had never reached out to them to try and ensure that the Paddle Steamer could be retained in a new location.
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