Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Cardiff Pub Redeveloped into Flats

An application to turn an old pub into a block of flats has sparked an angry response from a Cardiff community, reports Wales online.

The Cow and Snuffers in Llandaff North was closed last year, and a planning application has been submitted to convert the disused building into seven flats.

The former pub is the latest in a series of city hostelries to face being converted into housing.

But transforming the historic and once thriving establishment into a residential space would not be in keeping with the area’s past, according to the area’s councillors.

Llandaff North councillor Jacqui Hooper said: “Residents are absolutely horrified. It’s a lovely building and it has a lot of history behind it.

“We as councillors are also horrified. There are issues with access and with where they are going to put their bins,” she added.

“The Cow and Snuffers is one of the last buildings in Llandaff North with a lot of history.”

The pub was built in the 19th Century and its unusual name is said to have come as a result of a “silly name” contest.

Formerly known as the Red Cow, the Cow and Snuffers was also reported to have been visited by Benjamin Disraeli, with a bust of the former prime minister installed at the pub.

It is this illustrious past which residents and councillors fear will be lost if planning permission is given to convert the pub into flats.

But the consultants behind the application said the renovation would be a boost to the Llandaff North community and its housing needs.

Gareth Williams, of Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners, said: “The pub was disused, so there is the potential for restoring the building.

“The pub closed down as it was not making money so they looked for an alternative use.

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