Admiral HQ office plans get the go-ahead
Motor insurance company Admiral has secured planning consent for new headquarter offices in Cardiff.
Cardiff Council have given planning consent for a 12-storey building that will offer approximately 220,000 sq ft of floor space. The development will include basement parking and ground-floor retail units. The offices will accommodate up to 3,000 staff. The firm already has 2,000 staff in other existing offices in Cardiff.
The planned development has been the subject of some objection. The owners of the nearby Motorpoint Arena Cardiff on Mary Ann Street objecting to the plans suggesting: “that the massive office development will increase congestion, lead to a loss of open space and overshadow the arena’s administrative offices.”.
The landowners had improved the vacant site by grassing-over the muddy, former car park. The site was subsequently perceived as being a public space and locals objected to the plans which seemingly resulted in a loss of a popular meeting place. The design of the building has also received criticism with one local councillor describing it as “looking like a convection heater”.
Developers for the £58m scheme are Stoford and architects are Glenn Howells. Admiral report that the design of the office block has been endorsed by the Design Commission for Wales (pdf download). The 50m tower is expected to have low CO2 emissions and to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’.
Commenting on the planning consent Henry Engelhardt, Admiral Group CEO said: “This new building will allow us to continue to grow as a company and truly cements our commitment [to Cardiff].”
Construction work is expected to start by late summer with a target completion date of spring, 2014.
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