The alternative visions of Cardiff that could have made the city look radically different
Cardiff, a city in constant evolution, sees frequent transformations and with each new multi-storey building that rises another taller one seems to be on the horizon. But for every development that has reshaped the city's skyline there are those that were envisioned but never came to be.
From futuristic driverless taxis trialled two decades before their time to a super-casino proposed to dominate Cardiff Bay and an alternative vision for an opera house where the Wales Millennium Centre now stands we delve into some of the most intriguing "what if" scenarios from Cardiff's past.
A 24-hour Las Vegas-style 'super-casino'
Back in 2006 Cardiff put forward its bid to become the first place in the UK to build a super-casino after the UK Government invited cities to compete for a licence to host either a single 'super-casino' or one of eight large casinos. If successful Cardiff's Las Vegas-style super-casino would likely have been built on the site of the International Sports Village in Cardiff Bay.
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The 24-hour casino would've likely featured a 220m viewing tower offering panoramic views across south Wales and the Bristol Channel. While the casino was anticipated to generate 1,500 jobs it faced opposition due to concerns over gambling addiction. Despite these grand plans Cardiff's bid fell short and ultimately the UK Government abandoned the legislation underpinning the casino proposals altogether.
Driverless taxis
Cardiff had its eye on a futuristic transport solution back in the early 2000s but it never quite took off. The Welsh capital tested driverless taxis on a monorail-style track in 2002.
The city had ambitious plans to install a network of Urban Light Transport (ULTra) taxis that would whisk passengers between Cardiff Bay and the city centre, potentially making Cardiff an urban trailblazer with the first-ever such system. This development has been swapped out for the new tramway currently being built in Cardiff set to connect the city centre and Cardiff Bay by 2028.
It's only now, more than two decades later, that the concept of driverless taxis has begun entering the mainstream. ULTra went as far as constructing a 1km test track at Roath Docks but permission for trialling the project in the city was denied.
Those same pods have since been used at Heathrow Airport prompting Trowbridge councillor Michael Michael to reflect in 2017: "Cardiff was ahead of its time and it's incredible to see how driverless vehicles are back on the scene again. I think it's something that we should really look at again. I think there are places in the city where it would work. It was certainly cost-effective and it could be part of our solution."
Dolffin Quay
The Dolffin Quay development promised to rejuvenate Cardiff Bay with 200 new homes, shops, and restaurants. The development was planned for the strip of green between the Senedd and Cardiff Bay Barrage, near the historic Norwegian Church, featuring a distinctive triangular building.
However locals rallied against it, fearing the loss of their last public green space in the area, leading to a change of course for the development. Thousands of people signed a petition against the project citing concerns such as its potential "impact on the heritage value of the Norwegian Church and other important landmarks in the Bay including the views from the Senedd and the Pierhead Building".
The tallest building in Wales that has been put on hold
Plans for what would have been Wales' tallest building were approved back in 2016 and, if all had gone well, it would've been completed around seven years ago in Cardiff city centre. However, due to "wider market circumstances", the skyscraper's developers have put the plans on hold for the foreseeable future.
Watkin Jones told WalesOnline in 2023: "Our business continues to consider the future development potential for this site which has been on hold due to challenging wider market circumstances. It is too early to offer comment on the potential future form or completion date of the building."
It's still a possibility that the construction could proceed and in 2021 approximately 10m of drainage was put into place on the site off Custom House Street and Bute Street. However uncertainty hangs over whether further developments will follow. If completed as originally envisioned the structure would reach a height of 132m
Another potential tallest building that we will not see
Another potential contender for Wales' tallest building has been ruled out definitively. A planned 127m high, 200-bedroom hotel was planned to be part of the Bayscape development and would have become the tallest building in Wales.
Despite this ambitious plan parts of the £23m development have materialised with people now living in apartments facing Cardiff Marina. The grand hotel idea was axed in 2013 and instead additional apartments and commercial spaces were suggested for the location.
An expensive Union Jack flag
The UK Government Ty William Morgan building, built in 2020, initially included plans for a gigantic 32m Union Flag adorning its side. The proposal sparked a major backlash with more than 20,000 people signing a petition against it and the group YesCymru criticising it as "a blatant political act designed to act as a provocation to the people of Wales".
Former Welsh secretary Simon Hart decided against the plan and a spokesman for the UK Government clarified: "The secretary of state for Wales has halted plans for a Union Flag design on the outside of the Ty William Morgan building in Cardiff because the final estimated cost of its installation, around £180,000, did not represent good value for the taxpayer."
A glass roof on top of a historical building
The Coal Exchange Hotel has had its share of difficulties in recent years. In 2017 then-owners Signature Living had some interesting plans to transform the look of the building, which it's fair to say split opinion.
The plans included an unsightly glass roof intended to offer "a breath-taking view of the city and an enhanced experience for tourists and locals". However this idea was scrapped due to widespread opposition.
The Opera House
The Wales Millennium Centre could have looked very different from the iconic building we know today. Before the centre's plans were even conceived the Cardiff Bay Opera House was supposed to be built on the site as a permanent home for the Welsh National Opera.
An international competition was held to decide the design and Dame Zaha Hadid emerged as the winner. The winning design was first revealed in 1994 with an anticipated opening date of St David's Day 2000 for the £43m building. However it failed to gain the necessary backing from South Glamorgan County Council and Cardiff City Council at the time with some labelling it "elitist" and the Millennium Commission deeming it commercially unviable.
The late Ms Hadid, who passed away in Florida in 2016, later attributed the project's demise to "resistance and prejudice" stemming from her gender and ethnic background. Despite this the design ultimately came to fruition – albeit in a different location. The Guangzhou Opera House in China was constructed using the same blueprint and is credited with elevating the city to cultural capital status.
A Roman Catholic cathedral in the city centre
Before the Capitol tower was built a centuries-old friary stood where the landmark is today in the heart of Cardiff. Constructed long before almost every other building in Cardiff the Greyfriars friary dates back to around 1280.
But before the tower was constructed plans were made for the site to have a Roman Catholic cathedral built on it. According to Dic Mortimer in his book Cardiff: The Biography, Marquis of Bute excavated the house in the 1880s and commissioned architects to outline a potential design for the new church. However, due to financial obstacles, the plans were scrapped and the Capitol Tower was built in 1967.
