GUEST COLUMN:
Craig Davies
Managing Director
Goldbeck UK
Long-term regeneration programmes have the power to reshape a city’s economy in a way that shorter projects rarely can. The work now under way in Cardiff Bay is a clear example of this.
A decade of planned development creates stability, draws investment and gives employers the confidence to grow their teams and develop skills locally. For the construction sector, it means building not just structures but capability, and doing so in a way that supports the wider goals of the city.
The transformation taking place around Atlantic Wharf is already creating a knock-on effect across the Bay. The new arena which is at the heart of the scheme will bring significant footfall into the area, and the supporting infrastructure reflects the scale of what is coming. We are working on a new 900-space multi-storey car park and the expansion of the Mermaid Quay car park, and progress on these schemes show how quickly the area is adapting. These are early indicators of the wider shift that will follow once the regeneration is fully delivered.
Goldbeck UK is also set to build a new, smaller and highly sustainable County Hall for Cardiff Council as part of the Atlantic Wharf urban regeneration scheme.
The new County Hall adds an important civic dimension. It will sit in front of the existing building and will be a smaller, net zero carbon office designed to reflect the council’s sustainability ambitions. The development will include a cutting-edge digital-first performance venue for the Wales Millennium Centre (WMC). It is designed to become a central hub for digital arts in Wales, and a leading centre in the UK. It will include a 550-capacity space dedicated to exploring the power of immersive experiences, as well as facilities for production, rehearsal and training.
Cardiff Bay’s role is changing, bringing together civic, cultural and commercial activity within a compact footprint.
For firms working in the construction sector, the longevity of this programme matters. It allows us to plan ahead, invest in people and commit to developing skills locally. Construction often moves in shorter cycles, with teams assembling and dispersing as projects start and finish. Here, the scale and duration of the work provide continuity. It allows us to create permanent roles, retain expertise and grow a workforce that moves from one phase of the regeneration to the next.
Apprenticeships are a key part of that. When a project spans many years, you can bring in apprentices knowing there is meaningful work ahead for them as they progress. We have already taken on apprentices in South Wales and have established links with local universities, offering young people the chance to study construction project management while gaining experience on live sites. These are practical routes into the industry that support the long-term development of skills in the region.
The economic impact extends beyond the workplace. Hundreds of construction staff will be employed across Cardiff Bay over the coming years, supporting supply chains and contributing to the local economy. Social value commitments built into the project make sure these opportunities reach local people, helping to address some of the gaps left by earlier phases of regeneration in the area. The ambition this time is clearer: to ensure communities benefit directly from the investment taking place around them.
The regeneration will also change how the Bay works as part of the wider city. After living in the area for a decade, I have always felt that parts of it remained unfinished. The arena, the new County Hall with the WMC project, and the modernised infrastructure that sits around them will bring a sense of coherence that has been missing. Few cities can offer a national stadium, an opera house, a major indoor arena and a cluster of civic and cultural buildings all within a short walk of one another. Cardiff will soon be one of them.
For those of us involved in the work, the legacy will be measured not only in the structures delivered but in the opportunities created along the way. The next decade gives Cardiff a rare chance to shape its future with confidence, and it is encouraging to see that opportunity being matched with ambition.
Craig Davies talks about this and more in the Cardiff Business podcast episode Building the Future: How the New Cardiff Bay Arena Will Transform the City. Listen to the podcast here.
