Fitz&Knox, Cardiff

Apex provided transport planning and highways advice to support a full planning application for a co-living residential development at Knox Court, Cardiff.

The proposals comprised the regeneration of the former Cardiff headquarters of Legal & General to deliver a mixed use development including 208 co living apartments and ground floor commercial space, within a highly accessible city centre location.

The development aims to deliver high quality but affordable rental homes in the city centre. The existing building is to be extended vertically by two storeys to provide additional accommodation, with rooftop terraces incorporating residents only amenity space.

The key transport challenge was to demonstrate that the proposals aligned with local and national policy objectives to reduce reliance on the private car, while ensuring that residents would have realistic and attractive alternatives through walking, cycling and public transport.

We prepared a Transport Statement to support the planning application, focusing on parking provision and access, sustainable travel infrastructure and connections by non-car modes, alongside servicing and delivery arrangements.

A detailed assessment of car parking demand was undertaken, taking account of the operational characteristics of co living developments, census data and comparable city centre schemes. This demonstrated that a low level of car parking was appropriate and would not result in overspill parking on surrounding streets. The on-site management team would actively manage car parking.

Cycle parking provision was carefully considered, with the proposed level, layout and quality assessed against relevant standards and best practice guidance. The assessment demonstrated that the scheme would provide high quality, secure and accessible cycle parking to support everyday travel by residents.

The wider sustainable travel context was also assessed, including walking routes, cycle infrastructure and public transport accessibility. This confirmed that the site is well placed to support sustainable travel choices, with existing and planned infrastructure providing strong connectivity across the city centre and beyond, without the need for mitigation.

Servicing and refuse arrangements were also assessed, demonstrating that refuse could be collected from on-street and that delivery vehicles could stop within the site through pre-booking of the delivery space and liaison with the on-site team. This ensured that vehicles would not stop inappropriately on the highway.

We worked constructively with the project team and the local highway authority to respond to comments and demonstrate that the proposals were appropriate in highways and transport terms.

Our support assisted the scheme in successfully gaining planning permission in 2024.

The approved development delivers a high-quality residential scheme in Cardiff city centre, supported by a well considered parking strategy, high quality cycle provision and excellent access to sustainable travel infrastructure, fully aligned with planning policy objectives.