File A4/13 - Opera House Trust

The Cardiff Bay Opera House Trust (CBOHT) aimed to create a venue for the performing arts in Wales. Nicholas Edwards, Secretary of State for Wales, approved a scheme to construct a barrage across Cardiff Bay, Glamorgan to build a freshwater lake in 1986 to improve the environment of the area. Its work began in 1990, and Cardiff Bay Development Corporation set up a Steering Group to examine the feasibility of the construction of an arts centre as part of the scheme. The Conservative Party manifesto for Wales for the 1992 election committed itself to the building of the Cardiff Bay Opera House. The Cardiff Bay Opera House Trust was established in 1993 as a company limited by guarantee with charitable status, with trustees representing political and cultural areas of activities in Wales. Management of the Trust's activities was carried out by Adrian Ellis Associates. The Trust ran an open competition for an architect to design the building, leading to the selection of four contestants who, along with four nominated architects, produced designs. Zaha Hadid's design won the competition and was endorsed by the Trust. The Millennium Commission however refused the funding for the opera house in 1995. In 1997, when it became clear that the project did not have the support of the leader of Cardiff City Council, the Trust was dissolved.