Following WWll, UK Government was encouraging the building of new houses not only to replace those destroyed or damaged but also to renew poorer quality housing. With the pre-war economic decline in the docks, properties in Tiger Bay and The Docks had been neglected and were deemed to be in need of replacement.
It all began with the development of Hodges Square and continued into Loudoun Square where two tower blocks of flats were built in the central park. Residents in the surrounding street were housed here and in new council housing estates in areas such as Llanrumney and Ely, while their houses were demolished as part of an ongoing process areas. In turn streets became new building sites for construction of terraces of council houses. Some of the former residents retuned to live in these.
Generally, people were delighted with their new homes. New shops and a modern health centre were provided also but there was great regret at the breaking up of the community and this is still expressed by many even today,
Redevelopment in The Docks followed on a bit later but again this involved wholesale demolition of houses, pubs, shops and businesses followed by new council housing and a new school – Mount Stuart Primary School.
Later still, the activities of Cardiff Bay Development Corporation saw the arrival of the retail, leisure, and entertainment establishments that we associate with Cardiff Bay today.
