The public is being given the opportunity to see inside the Bethany Chapel which will form a central feature of ambitious £100m plans to transform the historic Howells building in the centre of into a mixed-use scheme.
The listed former Baptist chapel and adjoining Sunday building, had been enclosed within the wider building with no street frontage since the 1960s. However, with on-going demolition work the chapel is being reopened up to become a standalone building at the heart of the mixed-use scheme which will provide new office, residential, leisure and retail space - with a new central courtyard and public realm allowing people to walk through from several directions.
The project is being driven by real estate investment and asset management company Thackeray Estates, which acquired the 270,000 sq ft building out of property receivership last year. The building has been empty since retailer House of Fraser closed its store earlier this year.
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As part of a public consultation exercise this Friday the public will be able to walk through the scheme’s Percy building and then inside the Bethany Chapel. The open morning will start at 9:30am and run to midday, commencing from the entrance to Howells on St Mary Street.
The Baptist chapel, which was originally built back in 1807 before being rebuilt in the 1820s and 1860s, could provide up to 15,000 sq ft of space. Marketed as the Bethany it is being described as an “iconic restaurant, food hall or leisure opportunity.”
Giles Hoare, investment director with Thackeray said: “Howells is very much a building of the people of Cardiff and we would like to give them the opportunity to see the chapel as it has never been seen before. We want to see as many people coming along as possible, where inside the chapel the first floor ceiling has been removed to allow in more natural light. As well as being able to first walk through the Percy building, people will be able to see displayed plans for the overall development, as well as new computer-generated images. As further phases are taken forward we plan to have more public access days.”
The project’s first phase Percy scheme, a nod to the 1930 built building’s architecture Sir Percy Thomas, already has planning consent. Providing 27,000 sq ft it has attracted market interest. The plan is for its basement and ground floor to provide around 7,000 sq ft of restaurant. The rest of the space, from floors one to four with the option too for a roof terrace, is being marketed for office use. This could potentially see it being leased to a serviced office or co-working space operator.
On the next phase of planning Mr Hoare said: “We are looking to submit a planning application for the Bethany, the cental courtyard and 62 apartments, at the end of the this month in what are phases two and three of the project.”
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Phase four, the Walter, will provide 40,000 sq ft of bar and restaurant space running alongside St Mary St.
A planning application for the Walter is expected early next year. Future phases will see 15,000 sq ft of retail space on the Hayes side of the building and which is being marketed as Hayes@Howells, as well as 40,000 sq ft of office space.
“We are very keen to progress this exciting project for the city and we are hoping to conclude our planning journey by next year, " said Mr Hoare.
On market interest in the entire scheme Mr Hoare said: “We are hopeful of confirming two, or potentially three, fantastic tenants this side of Christmas.”
A hotel is also a potential future option, but will depend on market appetite. The best current location for a hotel is overlooking St Mary Street above the Walter building. However, that could provide around 60 rooms, where as major hotel operators are usually in the market for sites that can provide at least 90 rooms.
While only at a concept stage, the scheme could be linked to the adjoining Cardiff Market, which is undergoing a £1m revamp, via a new entrance.
Mr Hoare said: “There isn’t an agreement yet but a link, which would be around four metres wide, would be mutually beneficial for us, the market, the council and the city.”
The Howell scheme is being marketed jointly by Cardiff-based property advisory firm EJ Hales and CBRE via its London office.