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Cardiff Council Update: 22 March 2024
Here is your Friday update, covering:
- Pierhead Clock restored to its former glory
- Live music to provide city soundtrack this weekend
- Revised plans for Pentwyn Leisure Centre to be presented to community
- First for Cardiff as store caught selling illegal tobacco products is closed down by council
Pierhead Clock restored to its former glory
A famous Cardiff landmark - the Pierhead Clock - has been fully restored and is being reinstalled in its protective glass box in Lower St Mary Street later today (18 March).
The clock's casing will also feature new lighting which will see it lit up at night for everyone to enjoy.
The 19-century time piece was built in 1896 for the Bute Docks Building in Cardiff Bay, now known as the Pierhead Building, which was completed in 1897. The bell within the clock was forged by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the same company that forged the historic Liberty Bell in New York.
Designed by the renowned architect Williams Fame, the Pierhead Building was the headquarters of the Bute Dock Company, which played a crucial role in the development of Cardiff Docks, for the export of coal from the South Wales Valleys to destinations around the world.
The Pierhead building was a recognised landmark for sailors who knew they had reached home safely when they saw the tower.
More recently, the clock, also known as the Monkey Clock, was bought by an American collector, Alan Heldman, who held the time piece in his workshop for 30 years until the council bought the clock back to Cardiff in 2005.
Live music to provide city soundtrack this weekend
Imagine a city soundtracked by music. A city where the sound of hip-hop and drum ‘n' bass rumbles over the walls of a 2,000 year old castle, where gypsy jazz floats from the balcony of Victorian arcades, and shoppers are serenaded by string quartets and blissed-out Americana-tinged folk. That city is Cardiff, this weekend.
Local artists including Rona Mac, Pigeon Wigs, Keys Collective, Kitty, Junior Bill and Siglo 6 will all take to pop-up stages across the city centre, along with brass bands, Welsh language folk and classical performers, as part of a ‘City Soundtrack' event supported by Welsh Government and Cardiff Council.
The event, from midday to 4pm on Saturday March 23rd and Sunday March 24th, is part of Cardiff's music strategy development work.
City Soundtrack is the first of many musical interventions planned for the coming months, all of which are designed to showcase some of the talented musicians who call Cardiff home, and put music at the heart of Cardiff's development.
Performances will take place at Cardiff Castle, Churchill Way, Castle Arcade, Cardiff Market (St Mary Street entrance), Cardiff Train Station/Central Square and the Hayes/Barry Lane.
Revised plans for Pentwyn Leisure Centre to be presented to community
Revised plans for Pentywn Leisure Centre will be presented to the local community at two drop-in events next week.
The events will take place at Pentwyn Leisure Centre on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th March from 10am - 6pm.
The plans, which have been revised following Cardiff Rugby's recent decision to withdraw from the centre, include a 25-metre swimming pool.
The pool will feature an adaptable, moving floor which allows the depth of the water to be varied. This feature enables the pool to be used for a wide range of swimming and ‘splash' activities, as well as reducing the energy needed to heat the water. The current slide will also be retained.
The existing sports hall and outdoor mini 3G pitch will be retained and the studio and gym facilities re-opened. The changing rooms will also benefit from a full refurbishment.
The energy performance of the centre will be upgraded through roof mounted solar panels and an air source heat pump to heat the pool. Together these investments will help to reduce the operational cost of running the centre and improve the carbon performance of the building.
First for Cardiff as store caught selling illegal tobacco products is closed down by council
Kermashan Mini Market, 136 Clifton Street, Cardiff, has been closed down by Shared Regulatory Services after complaints about the sale of illegal tobacco and nitrous oxide cannisters.
This is the first time that enforcement powers have been used in this way by Cardiff Council.
The shop will be closed for a minimum of three months, for selling Class C drugs and other illegal and dangerous products to its customers.
The ‘Closure Order', imposed by Cardiff Magistrates' Court today (21 March) means that the shop must close with immediate effect and any trading for three months thereafter could result in the owner receiving three months in prison, a fine, or both.
The case came to light when complaints were received that the shop was selling illegal tobacco products and Nitrous Oxide canisters.
Trading Standards opened an investigation and test purchases were made. The results showed that the shop was selling counterfeit tobacco, illegal vapes, duty free cigarettes smuggled into the UK and Nitrous Oxide. The cost of 50g of counterfeit Amber Leaf tobacco was being sold for as little as £5 when the average retail price is £40.
