A long-vacant site in central Cardiff is set for redevelopment after local officials backed plans for a 33-story co-living high-rise proposed by developer Watkin Jones.
The project, located on Custom House Street near Cardiff Central Station and St David’s Shopping Centre, received a resolution to grant planning permission, subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement. Formal approval is expected later this summer.
The development will deliver 400 fully furnished co-living units aimed at young professionals and smaller households seeking centrally located rental housing. Shared amenities will include communal kitchens, dining and lounge spaces, fitness facilities, and landscaped areas designed to support a more community-oriented living environment.
The approval marks a new chapter for a site that has remained undeveloped for nearly a decade. Plans for a 42-story student housing building were approved in 2016, but the project failed to advance amid changing market conditions and shifts in demand. The revised proposal reflects the growing prominence of co-living as an alternative housing model in city centers, offering smaller private residences paired with extensive shared amenities.
The scheme also continues the evolution of Cardiff’s city center residential market, particularly in areas surrounding major transit infrastructure. Located within walking distance of the city’s primary rail hub, the project aligns with broader trends toward higher-density, transit-connected urban living.
The approval adds to the developer’s expanding presence in Cardiff, who recently completed the first phase of its nearby Central Quay regeneration project, Tai Afon, as part of a wider effort to deliver new rental housing and mixed-use development in the Welsh capital.
If completed, it could become one of Cardiff’s tallest residential buildings and introduce a significant new co-living component to the city’s growing downtown housing stock.
Read more at Construction Inquirer.