Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

A Cardiff city centre building which was once home to a much-loved bar and venue has nearly vanished from sight.

Demolition work on Harlech Court, where Porter’s used to be, started at the beginning of this year and is now nearing completion.

A planning application to eventually turn the site into a 30-storey tower block comprising of apartments has been made to Cardiff Council.

Plans for the site, if approved, show it will be made up of 340 flats, as well as lounges, roof gardens, a gym, work spaces, a cafe and public square.

There were questions over the future of Porter’s after plans to redevelop Harlech Court first emerged in 2021.

However, the popular city bar and venue eventually found a new home on Barrack Lane.

Starting out as a coffee shop and a cult favourite fixture in Cardiff’s nightlife scene, Porter’s eventually became a familiar name – so well-known Hamilton creator and Encanto songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda turned up at one of the bar’s singalong nights in 2018.

Little remains of its old home, which also used to include offices.

Draycott Group lodged plans to turn the 1970s building into a new apartment block in December 2024.

Plans for a new skyscraper on Wood Street were recently updated to propose a 50-storey building on the empty building site opposite the BBC Wales offices.

If Draycott Group’s building is constructed before that is completed, it will be the tallest building in Cardiff.

The tallest building in the city is currently the 29-storey Guildford Crescent apartment block,  which is nearing completion.

A topping out ceremony was held for the site in June.

Plans to develop Harlech Court, although not approved yet, reflect the continuous changes to Cardiff’s skyline which people can expect to see over the coming years.

Already, the addition of two new apartment complexes at Central Quay, where the former Brains brewery used to be, have completely transformed that part of the capital.

Together with the development of Central Square, it has made this part of the centre of Cardiff almost completely unrecognisable from what it was a decade ago.

The same may soon be true for other parts of the city.