The 1,270m² Womanby Street venue first went out to consultation on an early concept in 2019 before detailed plans were submitted to Cardiff Council in August 2023.
The approved plans by the London-based practice will see the venue take over a derelict building on a neighbouring site, which Cardiff Council bought and agreed to lease to the club and community centre.
The scheme involves removing the existing building’s first floor to create a 500-capacity double-height performance space with a standing area and wrap-around mezzanine balcony.
The venue’s upper floor will include a 200-capacity space, which can be used simultaneously to host a different event.
Nissen Richards director Jim Richards said planning matters were largely complete in 2024, but legal issues took ‘an age’ to be tied up.
He said Section 106 discussions were ‘very complex’, involving numerous parties, including the owner of the adjacent land and the council.
Richards praised the tenacity of client Clwb Ifor Bach in pursuing the discussions until their conclusion.
Small elements of the plans were amended in October 2023, December 2023, February 2024 and April 2024, following feedback from council officers.
Changes included reintroducing initially suggested green roof elements, updating elevations to allay concerns about the impact of acoustic measures on the scheme’s appearance and repositioning basement cycle spaces based on feedback from highways officers.
Nissen Richards said the venue’s architectural treatment refers to the local city architectural vernacular, from Cardiff Castle and the semi-glazed bricks of the Victorian terraces to the local Art Deco cinema’s render.
The new building’s faceted front features a slightly abstracted look, facing in the direction of the castle, with its verticality more pronounced from the other direction. The verticality reflects the Art Deco influences, but with a more industrial feel that’s right for the venue, it added.
The venue, which is a registered charity, is fundraising to pay for the cost of the redevelopment.
Clwb Ifor Bach chief executive Guto Brychan said: ‘Our plans to improve Clwb Ifor Bach for the artists and audiences of the future will be a cornerstone of the city’s live music infrastructure for years to come.
‘The venue won’t just build on our heritage, it will contribute to our community, to the Welsh economy and to the fabric of Welsh life. And it will play a critical role in making Cardiff an internationally recognised music city, the capital of a country that’s synonymous with song.’
Cardiff Council granted permission to the scheme on 2 April.