Cardiff Lib Dems express concern after questioning reveals St David’s Hall re-opening will be substantially delayed

The leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on Cardiff Council, Councillor Rodney Berman, has expressed dismay after his questioning of the council’s Labour administration revealed there will be a substantial delay to the re-opening of St David’s Hall which closed in September 2023 due to safety fears in relation to its roof which is made from RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete).

At the July 2024 meeting of Cardiff Council, he asked what work had been undertaken to date to fix the roof and was staggered to discover that no remedial work has yet been undertaken.

The council’s cabinet member for culture, Councillor Jennifer Burke, explained that an agreement to lease the building to AMG (Academy Music Group) was only signed in April 2024 and that listed building consent will now be required before works can progress. She added that an application for this consent was not expected to be submitted until the end of the summer and that once listed building consent was obtained, the works to replace the roof would then be expected to take a further 18 months.

Responding to the news of these significant delays, Councillor Berman said:

“I, like many other Cardiff residents, am deeply disappointed to learn that, even after ten months of closure, we are still nowhere close to seeing the prestigious St Davids Hall re-opening.

“Since closing in September 2023 we are yet to even see a start to any works being undertaken to start fixing the roof of St Davids Hall. This is creating significant delays and forcing the cancellation of important cultural events such as the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition that was due to take place in 2025.

“It is now quite clear that the original re-opening date will be pushed back significantly, impacting Cardiff’s reputation as the cultural hub of Wales.

“How long will the people of Cardiff have to wait until they are able to safely attend events at the Hall again?

“I am also deeply concerned that the Labour-run council wasn’t more up-front in updating the public about these delays and that it took my questioning of the cabinet member to solicit this important information. The people of both Cardiff and Wales clearly have a right to know what is happening with our national concert hall.”

ENDS