A huge former Cardiff chapel that most recently housed offices for a homelessness charity is set to become an educational facility. Formerly providing offices for leading homelessness and rough sleeping charity The Wallich, the 119-year-old Presbyterian chapel on Cathedral Road in Pontcanna was put up for sale last year.
The charity announced that it was selling the building and reinvesting funds from the sale into frontline support. Now, Cardiff Council has granted permission for the Grade II building to be turned into an educational facility. A planning application was submitted on behalf of Red Rose School, an independent special needs school currently based in the Heath area of Cardiff.
"The proposed move to the former Wallich Centre will allow the school to offer a greater level of educational opportunity to its pupils and secure their long term future in an established area of Cardiff," a cover letter submitted alongside the planning application reads. The proposals would see the building provide a special needs school education to 26 pupils between the ages of seven and 19, with the proposed school day starting at 9am and finishing at 2.30pm.
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No physical or external works have been proposed as part of the change of use of the building, which has since stood empty. According to the cover letter, there will be no internal changes to the building. Dating back to 1903, the historic building was built by a Cardiff architect and converted into offices in 1993.
The original features of the Gothic-styled building, including its stained-glass windows, flooring, wood-panelled walls, organ, and barrel vaulted roof, have all been preserved. The building also boasts Art Nouveau details, with an impressive tower, buttresses, and diamond glazing.
Before The Wallich vacated the building, it had been their headquarters for nearly 15 years. Last year, the organisation said that the hybrid home and office working pattern adopted by its staff during the pandemic had decreased the need for face-to-face meetings and meeting rooms, moving to smaller headquarters to adapt.
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