Editing Cardiff Bay (section)

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}{{Use British English|date=September 2021}}
{{short description|Area and lake in Cardiff, Wales}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Cardiff Bay
| local_name = The Bay
| country = Wales
| unitary_wales = [[Cardiff]]
| static_image_name = Cardiff Bay 121020 2469 (50599762103) - Flickr - Richard Szwejkowski.jpg
| static_image_width = 
| static_image_alt = Image of Cardiff Bay's Waterfront from the bay, with the 1897 Pierhead Building to the left, the Senedd building to the right, and the coppery roof of the Millennium Centre behind them.
| static_image_caption = Cardiff Bay in 2020, Pierhead Building (left), Senedd building (right), and Millennium Centre (behind)
| area_total_sq_mi = 
| area_total_km2 = 
| population_density = 
| os_grid_reference = 
| coordinates = {{coord|51.463|-3.164|display=inline,title}}
| post_town = CARDIFF
| postcode_area = CF
| postcode_district = CF10
| dial_code = 029
| london_distance = 
| welsh_name = Bae Caerdydd
| constituency_welsh_assembly = [[Cardiff South and Penarth (Senedd constituency)|Cardiff South and Penarth]]
| website = http://www.cardiffharbour.com/ Cardiff Harbour Authority
http://www.visitcardiffbay.info/ Visit Cardiff Bay
| hide_services = Yes
| type = Area and [[Lake]]
| constituency_westminster = [[Cardiff South and Penarth (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiff South and Penarth]]
}}

'''Cardiff Bay''' ({{langx|cy|Bae Caerdydd}}; colloquially "'''The Bay'''") is an area and [[freshwater lake]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Visit Cardiff Bay {{!}} Things to see and do in Cardiff|url=https://www.visitcardiffbay.info/|access-date=2021-09-06|website=Visit Cardiff Bay|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Cardiff Bay: Our History — About Cardiff Bay|url=https://www.cardiffbay.co.uk/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-06|website=Cardiff Bay|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000407201712/http://www.cardiffbay.co.uk:80/ |archive-date=7 April 2000 }}</ref> in [[Cardiff]], [[Wales]]. The site of a former tidal [[bay]] and [[estuary]], it is the [[river mouth]] of the [[River Taff]] and [[River Ely|Ely]]. The body of water was converted into a {{Convert|500|acre|km2|adj=on}} lake as part of a pre-devolution [[UK Government]] regeneration project, involving the damming of the rivers by the [[Cardiff Bay Barrage]] in 1999. The barrage impounds the rivers from the [[Severn Estuary]], providing flood defence and the creation of a permanent non-tidal [[high water]] lake with limited access to the sea, serving as a core feature of the redevelopment of the area in the 1990s. 

Surrounding the lake is a {{Convert|4.25|sqmi|km2|abbr=in}} area of redeveloped former derelict [[Cardiff Docks|docklands]]<ref>{{Cite news|date=2017-08-13|title=Cardiff Bay: What has 30 years of development achieved?|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-40681940|access-date=2021-09-06}}</ref> which shares its name. The area is situated between [[Cardiff city centre]] and [[Penarth]], in the communities of [[Butetown]] and [[Grangetown, Cardiff|Grangetown]]. Its waterfront is home to notable attractions, in particular regarding [[Welsh politics]] and [[Welsh devolution|devolved institutions]], such as the [[Senedd building]] (housing the [[Senedd]], the Welsh Parliament), [[Pierhead Building]] and [[Tŷ Hywel]]; and cultural attractions including the [[Wales Millennium Centre]] and [[Norwegian Church, Cardiff|Norwegian Church]]. The presence of devolved institutions in Cardiff Bay has led to its name's use as a [[metonym]] for devolved Welsh politics. According to [[Cardiff Council]], the creation of Cardiff Bay is regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Citation | title = Cardiff Bay Economic Development |date = April 2005 | page = 8 | place = Cardiff | publisher = Cardiff Council }}</ref> The bay was formerly tidal, with access to the sea limited to a couple of hours each side of high water but now provides 24-hour access through three locks.<ref>{{Citation |last=Cardiff Harbour Authority |title=Tiger Bay Barrage |url=http://www.cardiffharbour.com/barrage/barrage.htm |access-date=28 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510110541/http://www.cardiffharbour.com/barrage/barrage.htm |archive-date=10 May 2008 |df=dmy }}</ref>

The [[Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve]] is situated along the northern edge of the lake, on the site of a former [[salt marsh]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Top things to see and do in Cardiff Bay|url=https://www.visitwales.com/destinations/south-wales/cardiff/top-things-see-and-do-cardiff-bay|access-date=2021-09-06|website=VisitWales|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Attractions|url=https://cardiffharbour.com/attractions/|access-date=2021-09-06|website=Cardiff Harbour Authority|language=en-US}}</ref>