An abandoned Cardiff city centre hostel which has been plagued by anti-social behavior since its sudden closure has been put up for sale for an eyewatering £1m. The former NosDa hostel and bar on Despenser Street in Riverside, Cardiff, had become a hub for vandalism, litter and drug use since it's sudden closure before the covid pandemic.
Once a thriving city centre bar which also offered accomodation, the huge building on the bank of the River Taff has been boarded up, covered in garffiti and its grounds covered in litter and used needles. The drug paraphernalia on the site was so bad in November 2022 that Cardiff Council sent a specialist team to clean up the outdoor area.
When WalesOnline visited the venue one morning before the clean up occured two people could be seen on the site consuming drugs while visible to people on the nearby footpath.
According to Christie & Co who are marketing the building on behalf of Joint Fixed Receivers Allsop LLP the property is spread across four floors with several former dorm rooms, staff apartments, bars and public areas and ancillary areas. The building is thought to be around c.15,000 sq ft. It is currently for sale for £1m.
The hostel, which opened in 2008, had capacity for around 100 people in more than 30 private rooms and dormitories, but with the flexibility to accommodate 160 for the frequent crowd-pulling events in the Welsh capital. The hostel often hosted live music events as well as provided accommodation.
NosDa announced in March 2020 that it would be closing indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In November 2020, the company said the hostel was still closed, but added that it was looking to reopen in 2021. The hostel remained abandoned and according to Companies House, Nos Da Inn is now dissolved.
After WalesOnline reported on the dire state of the abandoned building and grounds, Cardiff Council said officers had issued a warning to the landowner, informing them that the waste at the property has to be removed within seven days. Failure to remove waste after such a notice has expired usually results in prosecution and the council obtaining a court order for the removal of the waste.
However, it had been confirmed that the outdoor space to the side of the former hostel, within the confines of the property's boundary, belongs to the council. Cardiff Council started their clean up operation of the small outdoor area next to the former hostel on Monday, November 21. The authority said that contact has been made with the agent who is selling the property in order to find an "amicable solution to the issues that have taken place".
Read next:
