An abandoned building in St Mellons is being given a new lease of life thanks to the retailer What! Stores.

Building work has begun on the former Kwik Save and Hypervalue site, which has been left abandoned since 2007.

In recent weeks the building has been secured and cleared, with fencing and scaffolding also put in place.

Earlier this year one local resident said that the lack of work on the site - which is shared with Indian restaurant Shamrat, Boots and Willowbrook Surgery - was “an absolute disgrace”.

Speaking to me this week, a spokesperson from What! Stores said: “The site is owned by What! Stores and we are planning on opening one of our stores in the St Mellons location.

“The Newport Road store is closing down and in effect relocating to the old Kwik Save location.”

During the 11 years the Kwik Save site has been abandoned it has attracted fly-tipping, graffiti and other forms of anti-social behaviour. South Wales Fire & Rescue also attended twice within the space of a week in 2016, after fires were deliberately started inside the building.

Councillor Michael Michael, said: “I, and the other Trowbridge and St Mellons councillors welcome the work being done on the former Kwik Save store as it’s long been an eyesore.

“We also welcome the development of a new What! store in St Mellons and the possibility of jobs.”

Local residents campaigned hard for progress to be made, causing Cardiff Council to re-think their original plans for more housing back in 2014 - at a meeting that same year the site’s owner said that his consultants were looking at retail opportunities for development.