A Robertson-led consortium has received full planning for a 17,000-capacity arena at Atlantic Wharf in Cardiff, as well as a hotel and associated parking. The consortium, which has been selected as the city council’s delivery partner, will now begin work on phase one of the larger Butetown regeneration program in the autumn, with the arena due to open in early 2025.
Developed by Robertson Group and jointly operated by Live Nation and Oak View Group, the facility when opened will provide Cardiff with the opportunity to host some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry while attracting millions of visitors and generating wider local economic activity for hotels, restaurants, and bars.
According to Russell Goodway, Cardiff cabinet member for Investment and Development stated the new indoor arena will also be a major visitor attraction in the United Kingdom and will serve as a driver for additional investment in Cardiff Bay.
“The financial advantages to Butetown and the surrounding area will be enormous, with up to 2,000 jobs required during the construction phase and an additional 1,000 jobs created after the Atlantic Wharf project is completed,” added Mr. Goodway.
The redevelopment of Atlantic Wharf
The larger development area is 13.5 hectares, including County Hall and its parking lot, the Red Dragon Centre and its parking lot, and portions of Hemingway Road, Schooner Way, Lloyd George Avenue, and Silurian Park. It contains 890 apartments, hotels, offices, a replacement Red Dragon Centre, museums, tourist attractions, a multi-story parking garage with 1,300 places, and a public square.
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At the moment, the only approved and full planning authority awarded is the 182-bed hotel arena at Atlantic Wharf in Cardiff. The rest of the larger development have received only outline clearance. This means that additional planning applications with full details for each phase of the reconstruction will be submitted in the future.
