Cardiff Council Approves Co-Living Apartment Blocks with Small Living Spaces

Cardiff Council's planning committee has approved a new type of apartment block in the city, which consists of living spaces the size of a garden shed, sparking concerns from the Cardiff Civic Society. The development, located at Asset House in Penarth Road, will feature two apartment blocks, one of which will be six storeys high and the other 13 storeys, delivering 182 apartments. However, critics have pointed out that the private living spaces in the co-living apartments measure between 20.1sqm and 29.9sqm, falling below the standards adopted in London, which advocate for co-living units that are between 22sqm and 27sqm.

Key Takeaways:

• The Cardiff Civic Society has raised concerns about the approval of co-living apartment blocks with small living spaces, which they liken to "high-rise HMOs".
• The proposed development at Asset House in Penarth Road will feature two apartment blocks, one six storeys high and the other 13 storeys, delivering 182 apartments.
• The private living spaces in the co-living apartments will measure between 20.1sqm and 29.9sqm, falling below the standards adopted in London, which advocate for co-living units that are between 22sqm and 27sqm.
• Cardiff Council already has planning guidance which states the minimum space standard for studio apartments is 30sqm.
• The development will feature 838.8sqm of communal space, including a communal plaza area, co-working rooms, a fitness room, cinema, games room, dining spaces, and roof gardens.
• The Cardiff Civic Society is concerned about the precedent this approval will set and how future plans for co-living apartments will be assessed.
• Cardiff Council remains committed to creating inclusive, sustainable, and well-designed places to live, and is working on local guidance to support consistent, high-quality decisions going forward.

Statistics:

• 182 apartments will be delivered by the development.
• 20.1sqm to 29.9sqm is the range of private living space sizes in the co-living apartments.
• 30sqm is the minimum space standard for studio apartments as per Cardiff Council's planning guidance.
• 22sqm to 27sqm is the range of co-living unit sizes advocated in London's standards.
• 838.8sqm is the total communal space, including a communal plaza area, co-working rooms, a fitness room, cinema, games room, dining spaces, and roof gardens.
• Two apartment blocks will be constructed, one six storeys high and the other 13 storeys.

Sources:

• "Cardiff Council approves plans for city's first co-living apartments" by Wales Online (2023)
• "Cardiff Civic Society raises concerns over co-living apartments" by Wales Online (2023)
• "Co-living is a new type of housing becoming more common in UK cities" by Cardiff Council spokesperson (2023)