Laura Klonowski
Cardiff Council have finally confirmed that work on a 15,000 seater arena in Cardiff Bay will start next year. The exciting news for the city was confirmed today and work is set to commence soon.
At the moment Cardiff is home to the 7,000 capacity Motorpoint Arena, the 74,000 seater Principality Stadium and intimate venues such as The Globe and The Tramshed. But it has long been a concern for many music fans that they miss out on a lot of concerts due to the lack of a larger arena as many artists sell more than the 7,000 or less than the 74,000. So a larger arena would be a very welcome addition to South Wales.
And it now looks likely that the venue will be built in Cardiff Bay on the site of the Red Dragon Centre. Many sites were considered for the arena as part of the £150m redevelopment of Cardiff Arms Park. But Atlantic Wharf has been chosen and the Red Dragon Centre will shortly be demolished to make way. The centre opened back in 1997 and is home to radio stations Capital FM and Heart FM, a casino, restaurants and a cinema.f
But before demolition work can begin, a new leisure complex will be built next door. Speaking about the major plans, Coun Russell Goodway said: “We want to re-energise Cardiff Bay boosting its profile as a leisure-based destination. This new development can help to reinvigorate the area.”
Cabinet members are set to grant permission for detailed work to begin next week with a planning application expected to be submitted in July next year.
Are you happy that Cardiff Bay will soon be home to a 15,000 capacity arena? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix.
