Bid to bring new life to old theatre
Swansea council has appointed a contractor to transform the city centre’s historic Palace Theatre building.
R&M Williams, which has offices in Swansea and Cardiff, has a track record of working with heritage buildings, including £4m refurbishment projects at the grade two listed Penarth Pier Pavilion and the 1920s built Empire House in Cardiff.
They will now be the main contractor for the 133-year-old Palace Theatre project. The derelict and dilapidated Grade II listed building, which once staged performances by the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Sir
Anthony Hopkins, was used around 15 years ago as a nightclub.
The council acquired the six-storey building on High Street from private owners around 20 months ago.
The building will be transformed into a new hub for tech, start-up and creative businesses. Planning permission and listed building consent have been granted.
Work will start later this month and the building could reopen in 2023. The council has appointed
Tramshed Tech as the lead tenant to run the building. GWP Architecture is leading the Palace project on behalf of the council.
Funding is being sought from the European Regional Development Fund and the Welsh Government, via the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme.
Council leader Rob Stewart said: “I welcome R&M Williams to this excellent project that will bring new life to one of Swansea’s most iconic buildings.
“The Palace is an important part of the city centre’s £1bn transformation and the appointment of a main contractor with great heritage experience is a big step forward. This building has strong connections with Swansea’s proud cultural past as well as being part of its future.”
Robert Francis-Davies, the council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “I’m delighted that a high-quality Welsh construction firm will be part of this prestigious project that will help regenerate the immediate area and the rest of the city centre.
“There’s still some way to go to bring this landmark building to life once more but the progress as we’ve worked with partners behind the scenes through the pandemic has been very encouraging.”
The new vision for the building includes workspaces for more than 130 people. The building’s structure will be maintained with the retention and restoration of original historic features and the reinstatement of other historic features.
Tramshed Tech chief executive Louise Harris said: “At Tramshed Tech we are delighted to be able to kick off our partnership with our new colleagues on this landmark project, to be housed in such an iconic building as the Palace Theatre.”