Cardiff's Brains Brewery redevelopment plans submitted

Plans for the redevelopment of Cardiff's Brains Brewery site into a riverside destination with flats, offices and 50 bars and restaurants have been submitted to planners.

The Central Quay development will see some heritage buildings retained and remodelled and a transport hub built.

If approved, it would also include a university campus and an indoor hall to showcase chefs, food and drink.

Developers Rightacres said it would become a city "gathering place".

It said it was working with Transport for Wales, Network Rail, Arriva Trains Wales and Cardiff council to ensure the scheme could incorporate a "transport solution" as part of plans for a South Wales Metro.

This would include a new multi storey car park, taxi rank, and a 24-hour coach station.

Brains Brewery plans to relocate to Cardiff's Pacific Business Park.

Paul McCarthy, Rightacres chief executive said Central Quay was poised to become Cardiff's focal gathering place for businesses and visitors with live music, a wide choice of bars and restaurants and a calendar of events such as food and beer festivals.

"The original Brewhouse will form the backdrop to a riverside plaza that will be the heart of the development, offering expansive outdoor space around a huge central water feature that, on a sunny afternoon, people will migrate towards," he added.

Brains chief executive, Scott Waddington, said its move from the site meant the firm could invest in a new brewery, while Brains' heritage would be retained within Capital Quay with the redevelopment of some of it original buildings.

If approved, work could start in September 2018 with the office building expected to be completed by June 2020.

Analysis by Brian Meechan, BBC Wales business correspondent

This is another major development in the centre of Cardiff.

It is by the same company behind the Central Square development which will be the new home of BBC Wales in 2019.

Legal and General backed that development with £400m, although there has been controversy over delays to a proposed bus station to replace the one that was at the site.

In October, it sold one of the buildings for £56.5m to Credit Suisse Asset Management.

This shows there is an appetite for investment in Cardiff's commercial property market which Central Quay will hope to capitalise on.

A lot of work has gone into attracting financial services companies to the capital and attractive, modern office space is an important factor in bringing more jobs.

Central Quay is a major development on a Brains site that's iconic.

There are critics though who argue developments such as these do not offer a distinctive architecture to the city, with similar looking buildings elsewhere.