Major changes are beginning to take shape at Cardiff Bay with work to develop a new arena now well underway.
A new 15,000-capacity indoor arena is part of a wider scheme to redevelop Atlantic Wharf in Cardiff.
The former County Hall car park has been all but completely torn up in order to make way for ground works and the site is now dominated by diggers, machinery and a mound of rubble.
Opposite the car park lies The Red Dragon Centre which will eventually make way for a new public square and other buildings, including offices and a museum.
An exact date for when demolition will begin has not yet been announced and the entertainment centre is still open.
The road separating the two, Hemingway Road, is closed off and is also dominated by construction vehicles, equipment and materials.
Work to redevelop Cardiff Bay Railway Station and electrify the line which goes to it is also a major visible change in the area.
Although it is not directly a part of the Atlantic Wharf masterplan, the work on the line forms a key part of the vision for the scheme which aims to get more people travelling to and from the area by public transport.
Proposals to knock down County Hall and build a new, smaller council headquarters was given Cardiff Council cabinet approval last year.
Goldbeck UK now looks set to carry the project forward following the confirmation of an agreement between it and the local authority in February.
No date has been confirmed yet as to when demolition works will begin. However, the new council building is expected to be completed by 2027.
The arena itself is also expected to be completed by 2027.
A masterplan for the Atlantic Wharf development shows the site currently occupied by County Hall will eventually be used to build flats and hotels.
But the masterplan has not been without controversy, with the cost of the project having risen by tens of millions of pounds over the years, and politicians raising concerns about spending and increased borrowing by the council at a time when other services are under increasing pressure.
Cardiff Council’s decision on County Hall was also criticised, with some councillors again raising concerns about cost and one charity, Twentieth Century Society (C20), arguing demolition of the 1980s building could come at an “enormous carbon cost”.
However, cabinet members at the council have stressed developing a new headquarters will be cheaper than the cost of maintaining the current building.
They also argue the huge investment in the arena project will lead to more employment in the city and an increase in the number of people coming to visit it and spend money there.
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