Millenium Way (Alternative to Central Square)

I'm not sure if people have discussed this scheme in the past, but here is an alternative proposal by the architectural practice Robinson McIlwaine LLP for the current Central Square development. Their schemes sees a lot more use of the land around the back-end of St David's House and Stadium House for which the current development sees little discussion (although a tall building is suggested).

http://www.rmi.uk.com/projects/milleniu ... ardiff.php
“Our proposals involved the creation of a new boulevard linking the central train station and the stadium animated by retail, commercial, hotel and office use which effectively extends the City Centre shopping district towards the stadium.

We prepared two options based the simple strategy of creating a 'Millenium Way'. The first proposal involved the creation of a large oval shaped public plaza raised above Wood Street which provides a new public space surrounded by bars, café’s and shops at Plaza level and mixed uses above. The space could also be used as an alternative venue to watch big game build-ups/analysis before and after events at the Stadium.

The second option was less formal and proposed a new meandering promenade defined by a range of building types and s more reflective of the more fractured and organic grain of the existing Town Centre.”

I remember it, i think we all thought pie in the sky as there was no anchor like the BBC to start it. I liked the open views to BT stadium house.

In that scheme Marland House remains intact so where was the bus station planned to go?

I don't think that scheme properly took into consideration the placement of the new bus station, unless they thought it could go on the section of land currenty occupied by No.1 Central Sq or on south side of the railway station.

There are some aspects of the scheme that I really like and maybe something similar is needed to bring more life to Westgate Street? But for Cardiff as a capital city, trying to attract investment and develop a blue-chip orientated CBD, it doesn't really work unless all the new offices are built on the south of the railway line. Maybe that could have worked? Mixed residential, leisure and retail on the north side and more commercial to the south?

I think its inferior to the current scheme, to be honest. It's certainly less ambitious and has less bulk.

The main problem with it is that it has a large central boulevard that leads precisely nowhere. It would give you a sense of arrival at the station end but then take you... where exactly? It doesn't align with the Stadium, Westgate Street or Saint Mary Street - so it's hard to understand how it was meant to relate to the rest of the city centre.