Investment Gives Cardiff Bay Nightspot New Lease of Life

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Hospitality & Tourism , 27th April 2022

The site which was once home to one of Cardiff’s most beloved nightclubs now hosts a brand-new apartment building, thanks to redevelopment plans backed by the Development Bank of Wales.

The new Casablanca Building sits on the site of the former Casablanca nightclub, which ran from the late 1960s until the early 1990s and was the social heart of Tiger Bay for many years.

Formerly the Bethel Chapel – which dated back to the 1840s – the Casablanca was an important part of Cardiff’s nightlife, hosting performances from artists such as Aretha Franklin and Spandau Ballet.

Work on the redeveloped site was carried out thanks to the backing of the Development Bank, which supported developers Mount Stuart Square Developments with a £3.36m property development loan.

This was supported by the Cardiff branch of local relationship bank Handelsbanken , who agreed to refinance the Development Bank’s loan once the property was completed so that Mount Stuart Square Developments could retain the property for rental.

The new development – consisting of 20 one and two-bedroom apartments and a three-bedroom penthouse, together with 1,650sq ft of commercial space – is fully let, thanks to the help of Cardiff-based estate agents MGY

Dan Ronson, developer at Mount Stuart Square Developments, said:

We’re very lucky to have worked on the historic Casablanca nightclub, and hope that the new building will continue to play an important part in the life and history of Cardiff Bay.

We’re very grateful to the Development Bank of Wales for their support and are proud of what we have been able to accomplish together.

Martin Leech, Corporate Manager at Handelsbanken said:

Alongside the Development Bank of Wales, we are delighted to support Dan Ronson with this venture. It was a pleasure to work with DBW.

This is the first completion worked on by James Brennan, who joined the Development Bank as a property development executive in 2020

James said:

We’re really pleased that we were able to work with Mount Stuart Developments and Handelsbanken to bring this much-loved site back into good use.

The Casablanca was an important place in the hearts of many in Cardiff, so it’s great that we’ve brought some life back to the site, and its successful regeneration means we can now look ahead at the next chapter in its story.

The Development Bank of Wales invests in residential, mixed use and commercial developments through the Wales Property Fund, Wales Commercial Property Fund and the Stalled Sites Fund. These schemes, funded by the Welsh Government, are recyclable and the money received can be reinvested.

Loans from £150,000 to £5 million are available for small and medium-sized developers based in Wales, working on residential, mixed-use and commercial development projects in Wales.

Anyone interested in accessing our funds should visit our website for more information.

Mae'r safle a fu unwaith yn gartref i un o glybiau nos mwyaf annwyl Caerdydd bellach yn gartref i adeilad o fflatiau newydd sbon, diolch i gynlluniau ail ddatblygu a gefnogir gan Fanc Datblygu Cymru.

Mae Adeilad newydd Casablanca yn eistedd ar safle hen glwb nos Casablanca, a oedd yn rhedeg o ddiwedd y 1960au hyd at ddechrau'r 1990au a bu'n galon gymdeithasol i Tiger Bay am flynyddoedd lawer.

Capel Bethel y Casablanca gynt – ac roedd yn dyddio’n ôl i’r 1840au – a bu’r Casablanca yn rhan bwysig o fywyd nos Caerdydd, gan gynnal perfformiadau gan artistiaid fel Aretha Franklin a Spandau Ballet.

Gwnaethpwyd gwaith ar y safle wedi'i ail ddatblygu diolch i gefnogaeth y Banc Datblygu, a gefnogodd y datblygwyr Mount Stuart Square Developments gyda benthyciad datblygu eiddo o £3.36m.

Ategwyd hyn gan gangen Caerdydd o'r banc cysylltiadau lleol Handelsbanken , a gytunodd i ail gyllido benthyciad y Banc Datblygu unwaith y byddai'r eiddo wedi'i gwblhau fel y gallai Mount Stuart Square Developments gadw'r eiddo i'w rentu.

Mae'r datblygiad newydd - sy'n cynnwys 20 o fflatiau un a dwy ystafell wely a phentws tair ystafell wely, ynghyd â 1,650 troedfedd sgwâr o ofod masnachol - wedi'i osod yn llawn, diolch i gymorth yr asiant tai MGY o Gaerdydd.

Dywedodd Dan Ronson, datblygwr yn Mount Stuart Square Developments:

Rydym yn ffodus iawn i fod wedi gweithio ar glwb nos hanesyddol y Casablanca, ac yn gobeithio y bydd yr adeilad newydd yn parhau i chwarae rhan bwysig ym mywyd a hanes Bae Caerdydd.

Rydym yn ddiolchgar iawn i Fanc Datblygu Cymru am eu cefnogaeth ac yn falch o’r hyn yr ydym wedi gallu ei gyflawni gyda’n gilydd.”

Dywedodd Martin Leech, Rheolwr Corfforaethol yn Handelsbanken: “Ochr yn ochr â Banc Datblygu Cymru, rydym yn falch iawn o gefnogi Dan Ronson gyda’r fenter hon. Roedd yn bleser gweithio gyda Banc Datblygu Cymru.

Dyma’r cwblhad cyntaf y bu James Brennan yn gweithio arno, a ymunodd â’r Banc Datblygu fel swyddog datblygu eiddo yn 2020.

Dywedodd James:

Rydym yn falch iawn ein bod wedi gallu gweithio gyda Mount Stuart Developments a Handelsbanken i ddod â’r safle poblogaidd hwn yn ôl i ddefnydd da.

Roedd gan y Casablanca le pwysig yng nghalonnau llawer yng Nghaerdydd, felly mae’n wych ein bod wedi dod â rhywfaint o fywyd yn ôl i’r safle, ac mae ei adfywiad llwyddiannus yn golygu y gallwn nawr edrych ymlaen ar y bennod nesaf yn ei stori.

Mae Banc Datblygu Cymru yn buddsoddi mewn datblygiadau preswyl, defnydd cymysg a masnachol drwy Gronfa Eiddo Cymru, Cronfa Eiddo Masnachol Cymru a’r Gronfa Safleoedd Segur. Mae’r cynlluniau hyn, sy’n cael eu hariannu gan Lywodraeth Cymru, yn ail gylchadwy a gellir ail-fuddsoddi’r arian a dderbynnir.

Mae benthyciadau rhwng £150,000 a £5 miliwn ar gael i ddatblygwyr bach a chanolig sydd wedi’u lleoli yng Nghymru, sy’n gweithio ar brosiectau datblygu preswyl, defnydd cymysg a masnachol yng Nghymru.

Dylai unrhyw un sydd â diddordeb mewn cyrchu ein harian cyllido ymweld â’n gwefan am ragor o wybodaeth.