Cardiff's Debenhams department store now nearly fully demolished

The Debenhams department store in the city centre is now no longer. Photos show the scale of the demolition work that has been completed at the site of the store, which used to be one of the busiest in the capital.

The city's Debenhams was first built in 1981 and opened the following year as one of the cornerstones of the original St David's shopping arcade. The vast shopping area spread over several floors was open for 39 years before the 242-year-old chain went into administration in 2021.

In a sign of the huge changes that city centre retail have faced in recent years, the site remained empty for several years before the owners of the St David's shopping centre, Land Securities, submitted plans last August to demolish the site and replace it with a public square.

Today, almost the entire interior of the site has been demolished leaving only the facade of the building

In place of Debenhams, Land Securities (Landsec) has plans to change the area into a public square. The plans include a water fountain splash pad, a performance stage as well as the possibility for the space to be used to host markets, local street food vendors and other events.

The city centre landowning giant has said its £17m plan will create a 102,000 square foot public space surrounded by two new restaurants, smaller kiosk-style units opening onto the square for food and beverages and a leisure space.

Helen Morgan, centre director at St David's Cardiff, said: "The development of a new city square on the former Debenhams site is very exciting for St David's and for the city. This investment means we can unlock the potential of this currently under-used area and bring life and value back to this part of Cardiff.