Street food will be served in 600-seater venue aiming to bring new life to Castle Quarter
BUSINESS owners around Cardiff’s High Street arcade have welcomed plans for a new food hall designed to breathe new life into the historic venue.
Construction is already under way on HYS food hall and developers Loft Co say it could be open by the end of the year.
The venue will seat 600 people across two floors and will include 12 independent street food vendors, restaurants, event spaces and a wedding venue.
Loft Co says it is committed to investing in Cardiff’s historic arcades, which have been open since 1885.
“With construction well underway, the team is fully focused on design concepts, fit-out and marketing campaigns to bring this exciting new destination to life,” said Celyn Evans, Loft Co’s head of marketing and sales.
Neighbouring businesses say the development is a much-needed boost for the area, which has struggled with keeping tenants since the pandemic.
Surrounding businesses welcome new neighbour
Joanne Roberts, 59, who has owned Fabulous Welsh cakes in High Street Arcade for seven years, plans to expand and open a sit-down dessert stall in the new food hall.
“Our end of town became a little bit more off the beaten track for people, so I think making it have a focus on the food and drink, with event spaces, will really bring life back to it,” she said.
“They don’t really seem to let the spaces to retail anymore. There has been a lot of focus on re-establishing The Hayes and The Morgan Quarter recently, so having that energy brought back down to this end of town is great news,” she added.
The Morgan Quarter currently has only one vacant shop, whereas the Castle Quarter, including High Street, Castle and Duke Street arcades, has far more empty shops.
The food hall will be directly opposite family-run vintage clothes store, Hobos Vintage, which says the project might help put it back on the map.
“We are usually only visited from word of mouth and loyal customers. Nobody really just walks past the shop out of chance because there isn’t really anything back here anymore,” said Millie, a Hobos staff member.
“We get a few more customers when it is rainy on match days, people will just go anywhere to get out of the rain, and they end up wondering around the arcades whilst they wait, bringing them here,” said her colleague Sam.
The food hall is believed to be focusing on affordable street food at £10 and under and wants to appeal particularly to students and tourists.
“As exciting as it is to have more street food vendors, I think it will be equally as good for our shop and other retail shops around it, especially as the entrance for it is opposite our shop,” said Millie.
“Things like this are appealing to young people, and they bring business. If the new food hall gets a good reputation and an exciting vibe, then we will all benefit from that,” said Ms Roberts.
Bringing Back the City of Arcades
Loft Co is the property developer behind some of Wales’s most notable regeneration projects, including Goodsheds in Barry, Newport Market, Albert Hall in Swansea, and Tramshed in Cardiff.
“We’ve seen how food halls have revitalised towns and cities across Wales, and we can’t wait to see the positive impact this development will have in Cardiff,” said Simon Baston, managing director at Loft Co.
“After four years in the making, this project is one of the most exciting developments I’ve had the privilege to work on in the heart of the city. I’m eagerly counting down the days until the food hall opens its doors,” said Phil Morris, director of leasing agents, E J Hales.
“We are looking forward to attracting further entrepreneurial businesses to the Castle Quarter,” said Mark Holmes, director of the project’s asset managers, Holmes Property Partners.
