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There are plans to create a "Box City" in Cardiff Bay from hundreds of shipping containers.

The space would include hotel apartments, offices, street food venues and even an outdoor cinema.

The innovative quayside scheme would see around 400 shipping containers reconfigured to create a stunning environmentally-friendly four-level development.

It would be built on a derelict site at Porth Teigr and cover more than 50,000 square feet. It would be the largest shipping container inspired scheme of its kind in the UK.

Box City is the brainchild of property entrepreneur Simon Baston, who runs DS Properties.

His interests include the Tramshed in Grangetown, Cardiff, which has a music venue, live/work apartments and a tech hub for creative industry and tech firms, Tramshed Tech.

(Image: EllisWilliams Architects)

The project has been designed by London and Cardiff-based EllisWilliams Architects, which has a base at Tramshed Tech.

The Welsh Government has given its initial approval to provide a lease for Box City on a 0.64 acre site. It could open as early as next spring.

The plans include:

36 retail units at street level, including restaurants

Space for street food venues, a pop-up market and bar

Some 20 serviced business units - which could be rented by the day or for as long as 10 years - each extending to 260 sq ft and 14 smaller units of 100 sq ft

A community gym with yoga and dance studios and a cycle repair shop

56 hotel apartments rooms with balconies at the top level

An outdoor stage and a huge cinema screen

As well as being one of the most sustainable property development schemes on this scale ever seen in Wales, the project will be targeted at indigenous businesses - from tech start-ups to specialist food and drink producers.

Box City would also be a tourism and leisure attraction in its own right.

(Image: Creative Commons) (Image: jrsnchzhrs)

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: “These are really exciting proposals that have the potential to completely transform what is currently a derelict and disused site in the Porth Teigr area of Cardiff Bay.

“If these plans come to pass they could see Wales becoming the first country in the UK to host a storage container development of this kind - which would be quite a coup in itself – and could bring a host of exciting leisure and business opportunities to this growing area of Cardiff Bay.

Video: How Boxpark (no connection to Box City) in Croydon was constructed

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“I am pleased the Welsh Government has been able to give its initial approval to lease this site to Box City and look forward to this exciting proposal progressing further. "

Mr Baston said: “DS Properties are delighted to be working alongside the Welsh Government once again to provide the most innovative spaces for the burgeoning creative, tech and media industries now operating in South Wales."