A former prime office building in Cardiff Bay is being transformed to provide much needed new council homes. The 90,000 sq Scott Harbour building has been acquired by Cardiff Council from property development firm Rightacres.
In a £28.5m investment Cardiff Council will complete work to provide 78 apartments as permanent tenancies. The apartments will mainly be occupied by families as part of its strategy of addressing a critical shortage of affordable homes.
The council will take possession of the building with 33 apartments completed later this week. Work on the remaining homes are scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
The council will also invest in improving the exterior of the 1990s built building, as well as creating office space on the ground floor.
The Cardiff office of property advisory firm Knight Frank acted fo the council on its acquisition of the building.
A council spokesperson said: “The council has acquired the former Scott Harbour office building in Cardiff Bay as part of our urgent response to the housing emergency, aiming to rapidly increase the supply of high-quality council homes in the city.
“In the face of unprecedented housing pressures—with more people than ever needing support and a critical shortage of affordable homes. This £28.5m investment represents an innovative and efficient solution. It enables the delivery of permanent, high-quality accommodation at scale and pace, complementing our ambitious new build programme, the largest of its kind in Wales.
“The acquisition includes the full conversion of the building into 78 apartments, associated external works, and the development of a new ground floor office space.
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“By repurposing an existing building, we are able to provide these much-needed homes significantly faster than through traditional construction methods. All 78 apartments will be offered as permanent council tenancies, with the majority designed specifically for families.
“The first phase of the scheme, comprising 33 apartments, is scheduled for handover on 13 June, with the remaining homes due to be completed before the end of the year.”
In a £25m investment Rightacres had intended to turn Scott Harbour into a build-to-rent and service apartment scheme. It acquired the building last year from Global Mutual in a £4.5m deal.