00:00Work that's supposed to transform the Channel View estate in Grangetown is ongoing,
00:06but not as quickly as originally hoped.
00:08The multi-phase regeneration project will eventually replace all 180 existing homes,
00:14which were originally built in the 1970s with around 400 new properties,
00:18alongside new public spaces and improved local infrastructure.
00:21One of the buildings, though, has officially topped off,
00:24a ceremonial moment in architecture when a building's frame reaches its highest point,
00:29with one councillor saying she's over the moon that it's reached this stage,
00:33but says she is as frustrated as anyone with the years-long delays that have plagued the project.
00:38Leaders behind the project say that the delays were not in the construction itself,
00:42but in the complex financial and planning processes needed to get large-scale developments like this moving,
00:47with council leader Councillor Hugh Thomas saying,
00:50we all acknowledge that it has not happened as quickly as we would like,
00:54but it has delivered valuable lessons about how to speed these processes up.
00:59Ironically, the actual building work takes less time than assembling the finances and working through the planning stages,
01:06and that's a challenge across the UK.
01:08That building will feature 102 new community living apartments, community facilities, a rooftop terrace,
01:13and even a cafe, all designed to create a more connected and welcoming neighbourhood.
01:18Alongside new homes, the wider Channel View scheme aims to improve walking and cycling links through the estate,
01:23create better access to local green spaces like the Mall,
01:26and deliver a new public realm that incorporates green infrastructure and sustainable drainage systems.
01:32The aim is not to only provide modern homes, but to create a greener, more vibrant community space for existing and future residents,
01:39and those residents will want that sooner rather than later.
01:42James Peach Watkins reporting for Local TV.
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