Austin-Smith:Lord was appointed by Cardiff Council to deliver a feasibility masterplan for the strategic redevelopment of the Channel View residential area on the bank of the River Taff.

The design development strategy evolved following a series of consultations with key stakeholders at the council including placemaking and urban design specialists, planners, highways and utilities departments. Starting as a framework of responses to the environmental and urban conditions of the site and a baseline number of properties to be delivered; around 360, the design evolved with each step of consultation in a feedback loop process.

The ultimate aim is to create a good area to live and to visit, with a distinct character,  a neighbourhood that will not only offer high quality housing for its residents but will promote a sense of community. A place to call home.

The process of placemaking at Channel View has only just begun.  Going forward an even greater level of consultation and community engagement will be essential for the scheme’s success as the design progresses.

Alongside the provision of quality new housing and the potential improvements for the local community the study explores opportunities in the wider context of Grangetown and the capital. The masterplan proposes to weave currently segregated parts of the existing local area together. The project also sets in motion discussions about the potential interconnection of the Taff‘s east and west banks to complete the quality pedestrian and cyclist loop around the edge of Cardiff Bay.

The redevelopment of Channel View is an exciting opportunity to alter a part of Cardiff’s urban fabric for the benefit of its existing and future residents and the city through quality placemaking. Austin-Smith:Lord  takes on the challenge with an open mind, design vigour and a big box of LEGO blocks.