First phase of city upgrade work could be approved next week
THE first phase of a £100m redevelopment of Swansea city centre could be approved on Tuesday. The plans comprise a 3,500-seater indoor arena built on top of a two-storey car park south of Oystermouth Road, alongside a new “coastal park”.
A multi-storey car park and commercial units below 27 affordablehousing flats are proposed on the other side of Oystermouth Road.
A new pedestrian bridge over the busy road would link the two development areas.
A report before Swansea’s planning committee recommending approval said: “The scheme should be of regional significance and have the potential to be a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the central area, and is the only location in the central area that can deliver a retail leisure-led scheme of quality, scale and critical mass appropriate for a regional centre.”
If all goes to plan for the council and its development partners, a hotel will be built next to the arena – subject to a separate application – and diggers would also move into the rest of the development site north of Oystermouth Road at a later date to get phase two of the regeneration under way.
The phase two element comprises shops, restaurants, leisure, housing and academic space – potentially incorporating Swansea’s main library. Ideas for a leisure venue in this area include a boutique cinema or even a new digital iMax cinema.
Council leader Rob Stewart has been banging the drum for this £100m regeneration for years, arguing that the city will continue to decline and leak money to out-oftown shopping areas if nothing is done.
The council has consistently said public support for the proposals has been overwhelmingly positive.
Delivering phase one and two will require substantial borrowing by the authority, but the plan is that the new assets would generate new and ongoing revenue for council coffers.
Eleven objections have been submitted about phase one of the regeneration, which has outline consent, mainly about parking and the effect of the arena and a raised walkway on nearby flats in Swansea Marina.
Citing recent deaths of Welsh holiday-makers abroad, the management company for Squire Court residents claimed that the raised walkway could be dangerous, and should be shelved.
It said: “The quaint notion that the pathway should be open to local residents to appreciate the history of Swansea is more than outweighed by the very real danger that will be presented to thousands of complete strangers who may find their first visit to Swansea is literally the last thing they ever do.”
Responses to public sessions about the plans were sometimes contradictory – some said there should be more parking, while some said less, and some said they liked the landscaping proposals, while others said more trees should be planted.
Phase one would result in the loss of the LC car park, but 356 spaces would be provided by the new twostorey car park under the arena.
The temporary St Mary’s car park on the north of Oystermouth Road would also go but would be replaced by a new 588-space multi-storey car park.
Further down the line, the current St David’s multi-storey would be razed but the Quadrant Court multistorey is to be retained – and the council also plans to increase spaces at its Fabian Way park and ride to encourage visitors not to drive into the city centre.
Highways officers said they were satisfied that the loss of parking would be replaced “plus an increase to meet the new demand”, while six drop-off points for coach parties are to be provided for the arena.
Planning officers said they did not feel the developments south of Oystermouth Road would have an unacceptable impact on the privacy of Squire Court residents, but said the flats would have a “relatively high” rather than full compliance with daylight and sunlight good practice recommendations.
The council also intends to set the raised walkway further back to help reduce its effect on privacy for Victoria Quay residents.
Last month, Spencer Winter, director of Rivington Land – the council’s development manager for the site – said: “The proposals present a truly outstanding scheme for Swansea.”