Shops knocked down for walkway
SHOPS are being demolished in Swansea as part of work to transform the city’s former Oceana nightclub site.
The two vacant Oxford Street properties are being knocked down to create a walkway between the Quadrant bus station and a new hitech “digital village” in The Kingsway.
They were formerly occupied by fashion shop Nefertiti and hair salon Toni & Guy.
Surrounding properties and Oxford Street’s pedestrian area will not be affected by the work, which will start from Picton Lane to the rear.
Swansea council bought the two vacant properties using Welsh Government funding.
Council leader Rob Stewart said: “As with the work now under way on The Kingsway, this is something positive that people can see happening.”
The demolition is part of a £12m investment project in The Kingsway to create new public areas, landscaped parkland, cycle tracks and a two-way single lane vehicle route along with wider pavements. Surrounding one-way roads will also become two-way.
It is early days for the new digital village, with a planning application unlikely to be submitted until later this year.
The digital village is aimed at hitech firms, and is being part-funded by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal – a public-private investment in 11 projects across Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.
Last week the Welsh Government agreed in principle that the four councils could keep half of the business rates generated by City Deal projects, meaning more revenue than under the normal arrangement.
The Kingsway is also getting private sector investment. A new commercial and residential development is planned at the end of the road between College Street and Princess Way, while work has begun on a 307bed student flat scheme on the corner of The Kingsway and Christina Street.
Mr Stewart said:“Public-sector confidence in the area is driving private-sector confidence with work already starting on more Kingsway developments.”