Former Royal Mail offices and a Brains brewery distribution site in Cardiff will be converted into a new sports facility, including a gym and padel courts, after Cardiff-based investment firm Avalon Glen received planning permission from Cardiff Council.
Site transformation in Llanishen
The vacant buildings, located at the junction of Ty Glas Avenue, Earlswood Road and Parc Ty Glas in Llanishen, were previously used by Royal Mail and Brains as a distribution centre. According to planning documents attached to the application, the site is currently "impossible to let in its current state" and the owner is making a "considerable investment" to change its prospects.
Alongside the gym and padel courts, the development will include a reception area, cafe, and other associated facilities. The planning documents state: "The proposals will represent an increase in the visual quality of the built environment in this location and arrest visual decay by repurposing and reinventing buildings in a more visually pleasing manner."
Padel court details and design
The site will feature four indoor padel courts and three outdoor courts. Padel is a racket sport that combines elements of squash and tennis, typically played in doubles on an enclosed court with solid rackets and lower-pressure balls. Scoring follows the same system as tennis, and the court is divided by a net with service boxes, though it is smaller than a standard tennis court.
The scheme also proposes the demolition of the front office block and part of the existing warehouse. Planning documents note: "The proposal retains a good core of employer uses on this tired, outdated employment site." The current facility is described as "impossible to let in its current state" and the owner is making a "considerable investment" to change its prospects by using the buildings in a new, sustainable way and adding a "modicum of 'other' uses."
Commercial and employment impact
A commercial aspect will be retained on the site, with smaller business spaces available for lease. The number of parking spaces for the sports aspect will remain the same but will be "more efficiently laid out" and include more disabled spaces.
According to the application, the development will bring a "breadth of jobs that the current warehouse does not." It continues: "The creation of smaller business units rather than one large one sits well with Cardiff's excellent 'high growth of firms' ethos and allows for places for start-ups to thrive and grow."
