Cardiff International Sports Village

Sporting complex in Cardiff, Wales

51°27′5″N 3°10′59″W﻿ / ﻿51.45139°N 3.18306°W﻿ / 51.45139; -3.18306

Official logo

Cardiff International Sports Village (Welsh: Pentref Chwaraeon Rhyngwladol Caerdydd) is located in Cardiff Bay in the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is one of the largest regeneration projects currently in the UK and is a public-private funded project.

The site currently has a 50-metre (164 ft) Olympic standard swimming pool, an ice rink and a white water canoeing and kayaking centre.

Upon completion, an indoor snow centre with real snow for skiing and snowboarding, and a hotel were also planned.[1] Other proposals included a 220-metre (722 ft) observation tower and a super-casino, although both these schemes are unlikely to ever be realised. The sporting facilities were used as a training venue for the London 2012 Olympics[2] along with the Millennium Stadium, which hosted some of the football.

In 2019, Cardiff Council approved a new ten year masterplan for the International Sports Village site with plans for around 1,000 new apartments, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities.[3][4]

## History of the site

[edit]

In the early part of the 19th century Welsh coal was in much demand throughout the world. Cardiff was the centre of this export trade, but it was under the control of the Bute family. In 1859, the Taff Vale Railway Company created a series of wharves in the mouth of the River Ely. In the 1860s a chain ferry (which gave Ferry Road its name) opened, giving dockers a shortcut between the two sides of the mouth of the river. The ferry was replaced in 1900 by the Ely Subway.

The Railway public house, named because of the criss cross of tracks over the site became known as the Red House. This well known inn was used as a beacon to navigate sea going craft until its recent demolition.

When the barrage was completed, the site became prime real estate again with a freshwater lake on the shore. This would eventually become the Cardiff International Sports Village.

## Present developments

[edit]

### Ice Arena Wales

[edit]

Main article: Ice Arena Wales

Ice Arena Wales, now known as the Viola Arena

Ice Arena Wales is an ice hockey rink which opened on 12 March 2016. It has two ice rinks and seating for over 3,000 spectators. It is home to the Cardiff Devils, who play in the professional British Elite Ice Hockey League.

### Cardiff International Pool

[edit]

Main article: Cardiff International Pool

Cardiff International Pool

The Cardiff International Pool[5] opened on 12 January 2008 and is a public-private funded project partnership between Cardiff Council (land owner) and Parkwood Leisure (operator).[6][7][8] Orion Land and Leisure and Explore Investments were also partners in developing the pool, however they have now pulled out of their wider agreement with Cardiff Council to develop the sports village site. Construction of the £32 million facility commenced in April 2006 and includes a 50 m (160 ft) 10-lane competition swimming pool with seating for 1,000 spectators, a 25 m (82 ft) 4-lane warm up/leisure pool, plus 4 flume rides, a beach area with water slides and a gym.[6][8] The building also features a rarely used sun terrace, accessed via the main competition pool area.

### Cardiff International White Water

[edit]

Main article: Cardiff International White Water

Cardiff International White Water

An Olympic standard white water rafting centre, Cardiff International White Water, opened on 27 March 2010 at the sports village. The 250-metre-long course, which cost £13.3 million, is the UK's first Olympic-standard pumped water canoe slalom course.[9]

### Pont y Werin

[edit]

Main article: Pont y Werin

Pont y Werin and Victoria Wharf (residential development) in the background

Costing approximately £5 million, Pont y Werin (English: People's Bridge) is a bridge crossing the River Ely, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to travel between the International Sports Village (ISV) and Penarth. It has significantly enhanced non vehicular access to the site by allowing the public to travel to the ISV via Cogan railway station.[10] It also completes the six and a half mile Bay circular walk. Construction of the 140 m (460 ft) pedestrian and cycle bridge, designed by Faber Maunsell and Holder Mathias architects, commenced in summer 2009 and it opened to the public in July 2010. The four main sections, which weigh between 38 and 46 tonnes, were lowered into place by the 1,200-tonne crane, the largest in the UK, in late March 2010.[11] Funding for the new bridge came from the Welsh Government (£1.645m), Cardiff Council(£1.3m), Sustrans (£1.15m), Cardiff Harbour Authority (£250,000) and £200,000 from the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Sustrans used part of a £50m award it received from the Big Lottery Fund in 2007 after winning a national TV vote.[11]

### Residential developments

[edit]

Residential developments

Victoria Wharf

Watermark apartments

Existing residential developments include Victoria Wharf, Prospect Place and Waterside. Proposed residential developments included Bay Pointe, which was due to include Wales’ tallest building.[12] In December 2008 the developer announced that the original plans for the scheme were being scrapped due to the economic climate and difficult housing market, and that any future residential development on the site of the proposed towers was likely to be of a much lower density.[13] However a new high rise development, put forward by a different developer, has since been granted planning permission which will include a 139m tall luxury hotel, apartments and ancillary retail/leisure units. The new development is called Bayscape.

### Retail developments

[edit]

Retail developments

Toys R Us (now closed)

Morrisons

Two superstores with associated surface car parks have been constructed for the supermarket chain Morrisons and the toy retailer Toys R Us. The Morrisons store also includes a petrol station next to the entrance of the car park. One further retail plot will be released in the future and it is likely that any future leisure schemes on site, such as Bayscape, will include at least some small retail units as part of a mixed use development.

The Toys R Us store has since closed down. In 2018, Cardiff Council acquired the superstore for £3.9m to develop a new adventure sports led attraction.[14]

## Previous and aborted developments

[edit]

### Cardiff Arena

[edit]

Main article: Cardiff Arena

Cardiff Arena being dismantled

This was a temporary ice arena with a capacity of 2,500 spectators for ice hockey and was home to the Cardiff Devils. The prefabricated building was constructed in Finland and was operated by the private sector company Planet Ice. The rink opened on 6 December 2006 following several delays and closed after the Cardiff Devils moved to the Ice Arena Wales on 12 March 2016.

### Super casino

[edit]

The aborted plans for a super-casino

Cardiff Council had bid for the single super-casino licence or one of 8 large casino licences being issued by the UK government, but was unsuccessful in both bids. Following its rejection the council had intended to continue to press for a licence to be granted, though this became irrelevant after the government eventually scrapped the legislation creating the casinos altogether.[15]

### Viewing tower

[edit]

A 220-metre viewing tower providing panoramic views over South Wales and the Bristol Channel had originally been proposed for the ISV site.[16] Due to insufficient funding stemming from the failure to win the super casino licence and later the economic downturn, the plans were shelved.

## Transport

[edit]

### Road

[edit]

Cogan Viaduct, part of the Cogan Spur

The site is connected to the national road network via the Cogan Spur on the A4055 and the A4232 and then onto the M4 J33.

### Rail

[edit]

The nearest station is Cogan railway station in Cogan, which is approximately 10 minutes away by foot via Pont y Werin.

### Bus

[edit]

Cardiff Bus operates the following services to the Bay:

* 5 – City Centre (Cardiff Central Library) via Cardiff Bay
* 9 – City Centre (Cardiff Queen Street railway station and Cardiff Central Library) via Grangetown[17]
* X45 – St.Mellons via Newport Road, City Centre and Grangetown

### Air

[edit]

The nearest airport is Cardiff Airport, about 30 minutes away by road, or by rail on the Vale of Glamorgan Line from Cogan railway station, which has frequent scheduled and charter flights to the UK, Europe, North America and Africa.

## Government

[edit]

The site is in the Grangetown ward, which is part of Cardiff Council.

## Troubles with the project

[edit]

In 2007 Cardiff failed in its bid to win a super casino licence from the UK government. This was a significant blow to the project as the super casino was intended to be the focal point of the site, acting as a magnate for tourists and providing revenues to fund the village's sporting facilities.[18] The opening of the temporary ice rink for Cardiff Devils was delayed by 2 months,[19] forcing them to play home fixtures in other cities. Furthermore, in July 2008 it was announced by Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman that there is a £55m funding shortfall for phase 2 of the project, delaying the construction of the new permanent ice arena and "Las Vegas style" water feature.[20]

On 22 January 2009, Rodney Berman made a further announcement, saying all future projects, including the arena, snow box, bars, restaurants and hotel were on hold until the economic situation improved.[21] This came after developers announced in December 2008 they had scrapped the flagship Bay Pointe high rise apartment scheme,.[22] These funding shortfalls served to underline the flawed nature of the project, being overly dependent on too few developments which were never certain to go ahead, such as the super casino.

In November 2010 it was revealed that Orion Land and Leisure, the private sector company co-developing the village with Cardiff Council, had pulled out of its agreement to develop the site. The reason for the split was not disclosed by either party. In spite of this setback however the council remained committed to the project; in order to kick start progress they invited private companies to submit their own proposals for individual development plots, so long as these fulfil the broad aims of the council in terms of specific sport and leisure provision.[23] This marks a change of direction from the top down approach that was originally envisaged for the project, in which private companies were brought in to build and operate leisure and sports facilities predetermined by the council.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Cardiff International Sports Village – Waterfront Development Volume IV : Non-Technical Summary of the Environmental Statement" (PDF). Greenbank Partnerships & Arup. October 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2020.[permanent dead link]
2. ^ "Olympic training venues – Wales". BBC News. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
3. ^ "International Sports Village Development Strategy". Cardiff Council. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
4. ^ Discombe, Matt (October 4, 2019). "The plans to transform Cardiff Bay with 1,000 flats plus new bars and restaurants". Walesonline. Retrieved 27 April 2020.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
5. ^ "Cardiff International Pool". Parkwood Leisure. Retrieved 14 February 2008.
6. ^ a b Signing ceremony for pool Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
7. ^ Parkwood Leisure manages Cardiff's newest International sport and leisure venue
8. ^ a b £32m Olympic pool opens its doors
9. ^ Rafting centre opening. Wales Online (2010-03-16). Retrieved on 2013-07-26.
10. ^ Cardiff Council's proposed bridge Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
11. ^ a b Wales Online: Pont y Werin bridge takes shape
12. ^ Conran towers bid gets scaled down – icWales
13. ^ Wales Online – Cardiff’s Bay Point skyscraper plans bite the dust
14. ^ Barry, Sion (30 July 2018). "New adventure sports facility plans for former Cardiff Bay Toys R Us store". Retrieved 17 April 2020.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
15. ^ Fight goes on, says Cardiff as Manchester pulls off shock win of only super-casino licence
16. ^ Take a look at the future of Welsh sport
17. ^ Cardiff Bus network
18. ^ Wales News: Get the latest Wales news updates from. WalesOnline. Retrieved on 2013-07-26.
19. ^ Cardiff temporary ice rink opens
20. ^ Sports village funding hit by £55m shortfall
21. ^ Phase 2 put on hold
22. ^ Bay Pointe shelved
23. ^ Orion pull out

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cardiff International Sports Village.

* Cardiff International Sports Village official site
* Cardiff Council page
* Cardiff Harbour Authority
* Map of the site
* Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey Team
* Cardiff International Pool official site
* 360° view showing the Cardiff International Swimming Pool and the temporary Ice Rink to the left (blue)
* History of the ISV site

* v
* t
* e

City of Cardiff

About Cardiff|

* Architecture
* Arcades
* Listed buildings
* Tallest buildings
* City centre
* Culture and recreation
* Economy and industry
* History (Timeline)
* Leisure centres
* Libraries
* Media
* People
* Places
* Politics
* Public art
* Schools
* Sport
* Transport
* Bus
* Rail
* Cycle
* Water
* Air

Cardiff templates|

* Culture
* Economy
* Education
* Landmarks and visitor attractions
* Media
* Politics
* Sport
* Transport

Neighbourhoods|

* Adamsdown
* Birchgrove
* Butetown
* Caerau
* Canton
* Cardiff Bay
* Cardiff Gate
* Cathays
* Coryton
* Creigiau
* Cyncoed
* Danescourt
* Ely
* Fairwater
* Gabalfa
* Grangetown
* Heath
* Lisvane
* Llandaff
* Llandaff North
* Llanishen
* Llanrumney
* Pentrebane
* Pentwyn
* Pentyrch
* Penylan
* Plasdwr
* Pontcanna
* Pontprennau
* Radyr and Morganstown
* Rhiwbina
* Riverside
* Roath
* Rumney
* Splott
* St Fagans
* St Mellons
* Thornhill
* Tongwynlais
* Tremorfa
* Trowbridge
* Whitchurch

* Geography
* Wales

* v
* t
* e

Sport in Cardiff

Active sporting venues|

* Millennium Stadium
* Cardiff Arms Park
* Sophia Gardens
* Cardiff International Sports Stadium
* Cardiff International Arena
* Cardiff City Stadium
* National Indoor Athletics Centre
* Cardiff International Pool
* Ice Arena Wales
* Maindy Stadium
* Sport Wales National Centre
* Cardiff Athletic Club
* Cardiff International White Water
* Leisure centres in Cardiff

Defunct sporting venues|

* Ely Racecourse
* White City Stadium
* Cardiff Athletics Stadium
* Cardiff Arena
* National Stadium
* Ninian Park
* Wales Empire Pool
* Wales National Ice Rink

Sport teams|

* Caerau (football)
* Cardiff Amateur Athletic Club
* Cardiff Athletic Bowls Club
* Cardiff Celts (basketball)
* Cardiff City Blue Dragons (rugby league)
* Cardiff City F.C. (football)
* Cardiff City F.C. (women's football)
* Cardiff City Ladies F.C. (women's football)
* Cardiff Cricket Club
* Cardiff Corinthians (Welsh football league)
* Cardiff Demons (rugby league)
* Cardiff Devils (ice hockey)
* Cardiff Dragons (netball)
* Cardiff Dragons (speedway)
* Cardiff Grange Harlequins (football)
* Cardiff & Met Hockey Club (field hockey)
* Cardiff Metropolitan University F.C. (football)
* Cardiff Metropolitan University (rugby union)
* Cardiff Met WFC (women's football)
* Cardiff Redhawks (ice hockey)
* Cardiff Rugby
* Cardiff Rugby Club (rugby union)
* Cardiff Roller Collective (roller sports)
* Ely Rangers (football)
* Glamorgan County Cricket Club
* Glamorgan Wanderers (rugby union)
* Lisvane (CAC) Tennis Club
* STM Sports (football)
* Tiger Bay Brawlers (roller derby)

Sport events|

* Six Nations (rugby union)
* European Rugby Champions Cup (rugby union)
* Anglo-Welsh Cup (rugby union)
* The Ashes (cricket)
* Cardiff Half Marathon (running)
* Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain (motor racing)
* Wales Rally GB (motor racing)
* Extreme Sailing Series
* 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
* 1991 Rugby World Cup
* 1999 Rugby World Cup
* 2007 Rugby World Cup
* 2015 Rugby World Cup
* 2008 IRB Junior World Championship (rugby union)
* FA Cup finals, 2001–2006 (football)
* EFL Cup finals, 2001–2007 (football)
* FA Cup Semi-finals, 2005 (football)
* 2012 London Olympics
* 2014 UEFA Super Cup
* 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
* 2017 UEFA Women's Champions League final
* 2017 UEFA Champions League final

* v
* t
* e

Landmarks and visitor attractions in Cardiff

Tallest buildings|

1. Bridge Street Exchange
2. Capital Tower
3. Stadium House
4. Zenith
5. HM Government Offices
6. Altolusso
7. Tŷ Pont Haearn
8. Meridian Gate
9. Tŷ Admiral
10. Holland House

Landmarks|

* Alliance
* Animal Wall
* Cardiff Central Library
* Cardiff Central Station
* Cardiff City Stadium
* Cardiff International Sports Stadium
* Central Market
* Ianto's Shrine
* Llandaff Cathedral
* Millennium Stadium
* Pierhead Building
* Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
* St David's Hall
* St David's Hotel
* St John the Baptist Church
* Senedd building
* Sophia Gardens
* Temple of Peace
* The Old Library
* Wales Millennium Centre
* Welsh National War Memorial

Visitor attractions|

* National Museum Cardiff
* St Fagans National Museum of History
* Bute Park
* Cardiff Castle
* Castell Coch
* Cathays Park
* Cardiff Bay
* Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve
* Cardiff Centenary Walk
* Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral
* Bute Park
* Cardiff International Sports Village
* Cardiff Story Museum
* Flat Holm
* Insole Court
* Roath Park
* Mermaid Quay
* Museum of the Welsh Soldier
* Norwegian Church
* Red Dragon Centre
* Shri Swaminarayan Mandir
* Techniquest
* Victoria Park

* v
* t
* e

Economy and industry of Cardiff

Company and
organisation
headquarters|

* 118 118
* Admiral Group
* BBC Cymru Wales
* Brains Brewery (Coffee 1)
* Cardiff Heliport
* Clark's Pies
* Cube Interactive
* IQE
* ITV Wales
* Julian Hodge Bank
* Media Wales
* NAT Group
* Peacocks
* Placid Casual
* Principality Building Society
* S4C
* The Barcud Derwen Group
* WJEC
* Wales Social Partners Unit
* Welsh National Opera

Company and
organisation major
locations|

* Atradius
* British Gas
* BT
* CELSA Group
* Deloitte
* Eversheds Sutherland
* HBOS
* Legal & General
* Lloyds Banking Group
* Redrow Homes
* Swalec
* The AA
* Zurich Insurance

Major public
sector employers|

* Cardiff and Vale College
* Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
* Cardiff Bus
* Cardiff Council
* Cardiff Metropolitan University
* Cardiff University
* Companies House
* HM Revenue & Customs
* NHS Wales
* Senedd Commission
* University of Glamorgan
* Welsh Government

Retail|

* Capitol Centre
* Castle Quarter
* Central Market
* Retail Parks (Cardiff Bay Retail Park
* Capital Retail Park)
* The Hayes
* Howells
* Queens Arcade
* St David's
* Victorian Arcades

Hospitality|

* Angel
* Copthorne
* Eastside
* Exchange Hotel
* Hilton
* Marriott
* Mermaid Quay
* Red Dragon Centre
* Royal Hotel
* St David's Hotel & Spa

Regeneration
& development|

* Cardiff Bay
* Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
* Cardiff International Pool
* Cardiff International Sports Village
* Cardiff Start-Ups
* Leckwith development
* St David's 2

Tourism|

* Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre
* Cardiff Castle
* Cardiff Story
* Castell Coch
* Insole Court
* National Museum
* Senedd
* St Fagans National Museum of History
* Techniquest
* Wales Millennium Centre

Major events|

* Cardiff Big Weekend
* 1958 Commonwealth Games
* European Rugby Champions Cup
* 2012 Olympics
* Rugby World Cup
* 1991
* 1999
* 2007
* 2015
* National Eisteddfod
* Six Nations
* Tsunami Relief Cardiff
* Urdd Eisteddfod
* Wales Rally GB
* Sparks in the Park (Round Table Fireworks)
* Michael Forever - The Tribute Concert

19th and 20th centuries|

* Bank of Wales
* Cardiff Docks
* Mount Stuart Square
* Coal Exchange
* Curran Steels
* Glamorganshire Canal
* South Wales coalfield
* Taff Vale Railway
* Tiger Bay

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template