Cardiff Council said the developers breached planning rules when they demolished the building’s old enclosure, but there are plans in place to rebuild it.
There is little to no sign of any progress being made on controversial plans made years ago to turn land in Cardiff formerly occupied by a laundrette into student flats. Work started on demolishing the old laundrette on Minny Street, Cathays in January 2022 – some five years after planning permission was granted.
The proposal, approved on appeal in 2017, was opposed by a number of residents living nearby who raised concerns about potential noise nuisance, congestion and impact on local services.
A Cardiff Council report published in 2024 shows the developers breached planning rules by demolishing the building’s old enclosure when they shouldn’t have. An application to rebuild the enclosure has since been approved. Never miss a Cardiff story and sign up to our newsletter here.
One Dalton Street resident James McCallum, who wrote to the council after the plans were first put to them in 2015, said a number of gardens back directly onto the former laundry building and that demolition would cause “great disruption”.
He also raised concerns about the potential loss of privacy and said accommodation for dozens students would “inevitably put a strain on the already tight parking situation.”
Another Dalton Street resident Beryl Lewis raised similar concerns at the time, adding: “I think this proposal would upset the delicate balance in supporting Cathays as a family area.”
Resident of Cathays Terrace James Clemence said when plans were first put in that they lived 30m from the proposed site and feared there would be “constant noise disturbance” during demolition works.
Mr Clemence also raised concerns about parking in the area and the potential for a “new kind of noise pollution” once students move in.
The original plans for the student accommodation show proposals for 20 two-bedroom student flats and one four-bedroom flat.
A design and access statement published on behalf of the applicant described the former laundrette as a “large dilapidated commercial premises”.
It goes on to add: “The applicant’s vision for the development of the site is to create a new housing development which has its own identity and sense of place and enclosure, but fits sympathetically with the existing urban layout of the adjacent housing.”
A number of amendments have been made to the application over the years, the latest having been approved in November 2024 to facilitate the rebuilding of the site’s enclosure.
In a Cardiff Council document published at about the time of the decision, city council planners said there was an “unauthorised demolition of the previous enclosures”.
The report states: “Mindful that the existing properties continue to experience an unacceptable temporary boundary, it is essential that such works are completed to address the unauthorised loss of the former enclosure.
“A period of six months to complete is considered to be the absolute maximum that should now be allowed (with the developer stating that the wall should take 12-16 weeks to complete).”
The original design and access statement for the proposal said car parking would be controlled by a management plan and that the site is highly accessible by a variety of modes of transport, including public transport.
The site was also described as being in an “excellent sustainable location” within an easy walk of university facilities.
Proposals for three parking spaces and cycle storage were also included in the plans.