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Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach submits plans for expansion to city’s council
By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 23 August 2023
Cardiff venue Clwb Ifor Bach has submitted a planning application to the city’s council as part of a bid to expand and transform the space by taking over an adjacent building.
The venue’s operators explain that “the proposals submitted to Cardiff County Council this week will see Clwb take over the derelict building next door and join it with the existing premises on Womanby Street to expand its cultural offering and create more opportunities for people in Wales”.
The redeveloped Clwb Ifor Bach will have a new 500 capacity space as well as a 200 capacity room, increasing the venue options available to artists within Cardiff. The revamp will also allow an expansion of Clwb’s educational work with those who aspire to work in music, whether on stage or behind the scenes.
Clwb Ifor Bach CEO Guto Brychan says: “It’s been a long time since we released the concept designs for the redevelopment in early 2019 and finally being able to submit the planning application feels like a big step forward. This year we’re celebrating Clwb’s 40th birthday and want to remind people how long we’ve been here, and how important we are to the community and the cultural life of Cardiff”.
Regarding that history, an official blurb about the redevelopment notes that “since opening in 1983, the iconic music venue has helped Welsh artists like Stereophonics, Boy Azooga, Gwenno, Super Furry Animals and plenty more during the early stages of their careers. It has provided opportunities for thousands of upcoming artists to develop their craft in front of smaller audiences – with even global artists like Coldplay taking to the stage”.
In terms of ensuring the redevelopment can go ahead, that official blurb goes on: “Today marks a key milestone with the submission of the planning application”.
“However”, it adds, “there is still a long journey ahead to make this project a reality, especially considering how inflationary pressures have impacted the cost since the initial concept designs were announced in early 2019. To make the new building and re-fit possible, Clwb is calling for its supporters to get behind the project and help make it a reality”.
The venue’s management now have eighteen months to get the funding in place to pay for the redevelopment work. There is information on how people and companies can support that process here.
