Mermaid Quay ( Welsh : Cei'r Fôr-forwyn ) is a waterfront shopping and leisure district in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales . The 14,000 m (150,000 sq ft) development was opened in 1999, and includes restaurants, bars, cafes and shops.
8-791: Mermaid Quay was at the centre of the regeneration of the Bay by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation (CBDC). Part of the British Government's Urban Development Programme to regenerate deprived and run-down inner city areas. The CBDC was set up in April 1987 to regenerate 1,100 hectares (2,700 acres) of derelict docklands of Cardiff and Penarth - once the world's largest coal exporting port – to create Europe's largest waterfront development. The Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum , which held exhibits illustrating
16-642: A whole. The five main aims and objectives were: The CBDC was chiefly responsible for building the Cardiff Bay Barrage , the new shopping and housing developments across the old docks in the 1990s and the Roald Dahl Plass development. During the CBDC's lifetime 14,000,000 square feet (1,300,000 m ) of non-housing development and 5,780 housing units were built. Around 31,000 new jobs were created and some £1.8 billion of private finance
24-598: The Bay – numerous iconic buildings, and residential and commercial developments. Cardiff Bay and Mermaid Quay have provided the backdrop for numerous episodes of programmes, such as the BBC ’s science fiction drama series Doctor Who and Torchwood , with the fictional entrances (now decorated as Ianto's Shrine ) to the underground Torchwood 3 Institute located in Roald Dahl Plass. Cardiff Bay Development Corporation The Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
32-517: The barrage, one of the largest engineering projects in Europe, has turned Cardiff Bay into a 500-acre (2.0 km) freshwater lake with 8 miles (13 km) of waterfront. Mermaid Quay was designed by architects Benoy and opened in August 1999. Since that time there has been significant regeneration of the Bay including the construction of Lloyd George Avenue – a new link road between the city centre and
40-552: The industrial and maritime history of Wales, was demolished to make way for the development. The collection was saved, but the majority remains in storage at Nant Garw with only a limited few items on display at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea . Before the completion of the Cardiff Bay Barrage in 1999, Cardiff Bay was tidal, with extensive expanses of mud flats exposed at low tide. Construction of
48-430: The regeneration of Cardiff Bay published in 2004 concluded that the project had "reinforced the competitive position of Cardiff" and "contributed to a massive improvement in the quality of the built environment". However, the regeneration project had been less successful in generating employment. The evaluation concluded that "the overall outcome, while representing a major achievement and massive step forward, falls short of
56-527: Was invested. About 200 acres (81 ha) of derelict land was reclaimed. The Chairman was Sir Geoffrey Inkin . The first Chief Executive was Barry Lane , who was later succeeded by Michael Boyce. The CBDC was dissolved on 31 March 2000. The Cardiff Harbour Authority took over the CBDC's management of the barrage, the Inland Bay and the Rivers Taff and Ely on 1 April 2000. An evaluation of
64-526: Was set up by the United Kingdom Government on 3 April 1987 to redevelop one sixth of the area of Cardiff to create Cardiff Bay . The Secretary of State for Wales , Nicholas Edwards set out the CBDC's mission statement as: To put Cardiff on the international map as a superlative maritime city which will stand comparison with any such city in the world, thereby enhancing the image and economic well-being of Cardiff and Wales as
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