Plans for a major new golf attraction in Cardiff have been put on hold after the firm behind it announced a restructuring exercise.
Cardiff Council had announced early in 2025 that it planned to enter into a lease with Topgolf to transform the former Toys R Us site in Grangetown into a driving range. However, a recent council report revealed that Topgolf’s owners, Callaway Golf Europe Ltd, are restructuring their business, including the potential disposal of the Topgolf brand.
The report states: “As such the council has been unable to progress any arrangements with Topgolf until the future of their business is concluded.”
The setback comes as Cardiff Council announced wider updates for the International Sports Village (ISV), where the former toy store is located. The authority plans to introduce new car parking charges at the old building, develop a new energy centre, and alter existing plans for new homes at Cardiff Pointe.
Developer Orion Land & Leisure is negotiating a partnership with another residential developer to deliver a greener housing scheme. The council said continuing to run the former Toys R Us building would create “significant unbudgeted pressure.”
To address this, the report being discussed by cabinet members today proposes: “It is therefore proposed to enter a short-term (two years) lease with Orion’s new development partner for the former Toys R Us building with an option to extend on a rolling year-by-year basis to enable them to undertake their off-site assembly immediately adjacent to the site, reducing the carbon impact of their development.”
The building will be used for producing panels for the Cardiff Pointe housing development. Orion’s new partnership will deliver low-carbon, low-rise, timber-framed homes, with the company withdrawing its outline planning application in favour of a “lower-rise/lower-density scheme.” 🏠
