Cardiff Council has approved plans to convert a Grade II listed office building at 16 Windsor Place in the city centre into residential flats. The scheme, submitted by owner Garrison Barclay Estates, also includes repairing the building's façade and reinstating traditional sash windows.
Location and Heritage Significance
The property is situated within the Windsor Place Conservation Area, which Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service, describes as having "the best preserved mid-19th century houses in Cardiff centre". The building's listed status reflects its architectural and historical importance.
Declining Office Demand Drives Conversion
A planning document attached to the application states: "As a result of declining demand for city centre offices the brief had been to convert as much of the building as sensible to residential use to ensure its continued occupation." This shift reflects a broader trend in Cardiff's commercial property market.
Proposed Works and Design Changes
In addition to the residential conversion, the proposals include a rear extension and replacement of windows with a more traditional style at the front. The application reads: "[The work] includes repairing and reinstating the 19th-century terraced façade by reintroducing a traditionally-detailed sash window to the ground-floor office, reinstating double-hung sashes at first floor to replicate others in the terrace (creating a return to that originally conceived); whilst, replicating railings to the front."
The current rear of the building is described in planning documents as "much less elegant" than the rest of the property and "given over to car parking and rubbish" with "no design features that are worthy of consideration". Despite these changes, the application notes: "The overriding requirement of the brief has been to respect the character of the building as this is its main selling point."
Previous Design Revisions
During the pre-application stage, a residential unit was initially planned at the rear of the property but "this was deleted following unfavourable comments within the pre-app response", according to the applicant. Regarding the front elevation, planning documents state: "Notwithstanding its listed status the Windsor Place elevation, particularly at ground floor, looks poor when compared to its neighbours with a number of non-period features."
