Cardiff Bay is one of the most modern areas in Cardiff or even Wales, home to the Millennium Centre, the Senedd and the waterfront. With its everchanging landscape and new developments, it could be almost unrecognisable in the future.
New development schemes have begun and are planned for the popular area which developers and Cardiff Council are hoping will bring more people to Cardiff, making it an even more vibrant city. From a new 15,000 seater arena to a new college to brand new apartments, change is set for Cardiff Bay. For the latest Cardiff news, sign up to our newsletter here
Some plans are well underway whilst some are still in the proposal stage, hoping to be given the go-ahead. Here is what developments could change Cardiff Bay in the coming years.
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Merchant Place and Cory’s building
The development is set to be complete in 2026 -Credit:Mark Lewis
Both Merchant Place and Corys building have been empty for over two decades but work is well underway to restore the historic buildings. In February 2023 plans to use the buildings in Bute Place for Cardiff Sixth Form College were approved by Cardiff Council.
The work involved in the development includes the demolition of a two-storey annexe to the rear of the building but no demolition is set to take place to the principal façades. The development will also see a new eight-storey building constructed which will house science labs, classrooms, an auditorium and exhibition space.
According to a report, discussed by Cardiff Council cabinet, work to transform the Merchant Place/Cory’s Building into a new educational facility due to be completed in summer 2026.
As part of the scheme to move Cardiff Sixth Form College, plans to construct boarding accommodation were approved in October 2023. The building made up of ten and 18-storeys will house over 450 students on the once vacant plot of land on Pierhead Street, near the new college building.
Scott Harbour
The building will also eventually include a gym, commercial unit, and a co-working office -Credit:WalesOnline/ Rob Browne
The Scott Harbour office block is set to be turned into over 100 apartments in Pierhead Street. Plans to transform the huge site were put forward in 2023 and given the go ahead earlier this year.
Scott Harbour was sold to Rightacres in January 2024 for £4.5m with Cardiff Council publishing a notice of its approval on Friday, July 26 this summer. The building is set to have 101 apartments spread across the first and fourth levels of the building with 72 one-bedroom apartments, 22 two-bedrooms apartments and seven three-bedroom apartments.
The site compromises four buildings including, Emperor House, Terra Nova House, Alexander House, and Discovery House. The complex will eventually also include a gym, commercial unit, and a co-working office.
Outdoor floating swimming pools
Plans for a floating swimming pool and viewing platform for Cardiff Bay were approved -Credit:Copyright Unknown
Proposals were unveiled in December 2022 for two new attractions to be brought to Cardiff Bay. Plans to bring an outdoor swimming pool and a 90m viewing platform were confirmed to still be going ahead in April 2024, according to the developers.
The development will see two of the Mount Stewart Graving Docks in Cardiff Bay transformed with a sauna, restaurant, outdoor seating, and multi-purpose spaces for events and wellness activities included. A planning application has yet to be submitted to Cardiff Council but plans are “still on” according to a Nordic Urban spokesperson in April.
Red Dragon centre
The entertainment complex will be demolished in the coming years but a date has yet to be confirmed -Credit:WalesOnline
The Red Dragon Centre, which was purchased by the council from the British Airways Pension Fund in 2019 for a reported £60m, is set to be demolished as part of the wider Atlantic Wharf scheme. The council’s preferred plan is to replace it with a new centre featuring around 150 apartments.
A soft marketing exercise has begun to attract investors for the existing site, and discussions are underway with key tenants about relocating. Additionally, a multi-storey car park for 1,300 vehicles is planned to compensate for the loss of surface parking at County Hall and the Red Dragon Centre.
Indoor arena
An artist impression of what the indoor arena could look like
The transformation of Atlantic Wharf will see a £250m project to develop a 15,000 seater arena at the heart of it. Located on the existing car park of the Red Dragon centre and a section of the parking area of Cardiff Council’s County Hall headquarters, the arena is set to open in 2027.
The development is expected to increase the number of people visiting Cardiff in turn aiding the economy. The £250m price tag for the arena also includes the required relocation and rebuild of the existing Travelodge Hotel.
Leader of Cardiff Council Huw Thomas said: “The current administration has made it clear from the outset that the council is committed to transforming this historic part of Cardiff into a leading UK destination for leisure, culture, and tourism, attracting more people to visit the city and we hope we can encourage them to stay a little longer.”
Cardiff Crossrail railway
-Credit:The Urbanists
A new tramway connecting Cardiff Bay to the city centre is set to be completed by 2028 with Cardiff Council and Transport for Wales working together to deliver the project. This is the first phase of the Cardiff Crossrail project aiming to enhance connectivity between the city centre and the Bay.
Cardiff Crossrail phase 1a, the delivery of a tramway from Cardiff Central to Cardiff Bay, will cost £100 million funded equally by the UK Government and the Welsh Government. The second part of phase one of the project could possibly deliver a new connection from Cardiff Bay station to a brand-new station on Pierhead Street.
TfW say the first phase will deliver:
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A new two-platform station stop located in the southern car park of Cardiff Central railway station, with easy interchange at Cardiff Central station
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A new tramway from the southern car park at Cardiff Central station, crossing through Callaghan Square to join the existing Cardiff Bay line
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An additional third platform at Cardiff Bay railway station (in addition to the second, which is currently being built)
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Improvements to public spaces on the route to connect neighbouring communities, places and attractions
Theatre
-Credit:WMC
This month the Wales Millennium Centre announced their plans to bring a new theatre to Cardiff Bay. The 550-capacity theatre will be located next to the new 15,000 indoor arena expected to be finished in the later part of 2027.
As well as the new theatre, the site will include facilities for production, rehearsal and training. A WMC spokesperson said: “The new venue is expected to engage over 10,000 participants in creative training over the next five years, enabling WMC’s existing youth programmes to grow, and providing greater opportunities for young people and artists to create, present new work, and learn vital new skills.
“Offering more space for training and production, this world-class facility will empower future generations of creatives to explore digital and immersive arts and realise their creative voices, as well as being a state-of-the-art presenting and producing hub.”
Cardiff Peninsula
-Credit:Cardiff Peninsula Consortium
Plans were submitted to Cardiff Council in September to regenerate a derelict part of Cardiff after it was abandoned by developers. The Cardiff Peninsula site, known previously as Cardiff Pointe, underwent a years-long redevelopment that was never completed.
Developers, Greenbank, left the site near the International Sports Village empty when they stepped away from the project. To revive the development, the Cardiff Peninsula Consortium was appointed master-developer in 2023.
If plans are approved, developers say the regeneration would include: cafes, shops, restaurants, a market square along a new high street a bayside promenade, new homes, an “innovation hub and business quarter”, and car parking. There would also be a hotel, public gardens designed in partnership with the National Botanic Garden of Wales, and a water taxi connecting Cardiff Peninsula to Cardiff Bay.