Firm aiming to make the city ‘greater, better and more beautiful’
OVER the past year or two we’ve seen some real and concrete changes in Swansea city centre, whether we like them or not, but in the words of a famous song – ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet’.
Because some of the biggest changes are still yet to happen. In fact the £135m Copr Bay Phase One district is just the start.
And one of the key figures in Swansea’s huge £1bn regeneration is Urban Splash – an award-winning regeneration company that’s partnered up with Swansea Council to transform areas of the city that have been untouched for years – including the huge Civic Centre site and a plot of land running alongside the River Tawe.
Founded in 1993 by chairman Tom Bloxham and creative director Johnathan Falkingham, Urban Splash has won more than 445 awards for delivering more than 60 less-than-straightforward regeneration projects in cities from Birmingham to Plymouth.
The company claims to have a wellestablished track record in delivering challenging projects that focus on sustainability and practical urban living, and some notable projects include: Castlefield and New Islington in Manchester, Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, Chimney Pot Park in Salford, Park Hill in Sheffield, the Rotunda in Birmingham, and Matchworks in South Liverpool – to name a few. One of its most impressive transformation projects is the Royal William Yard project in Plymouth, which involved the delicate transformation of Grade I and Grade II Listed waterfront structures into a hub of modern apartments, workspaces, galleries, bars and restaurants. The company is no stranger to Swansea, having linked up on a development project with Hammerson back in 2008 until the recession hit, rendering the project unviable. While Urban Splash has an impressive portfolio of regeneration in many cities across the UK, it says the new plans for
We’re committed to making a difference and giving people great places to live, work and play in Urban Splash spokeswoman
Swansea are unique and ambitious.
An Urban Splash spokeswoman said: “This is a hugely unique proposition – it’s a vast collection of sites, in a beautiful backdrop by the sea.
“That will bring challenges and opportunities, but ultimately across all seven development areas we hope to create places in which everyone can live, work and play – with homes of mixed tenure, green space, amenities and other things that contemporary neighbourhoods need.
“We will be drawing on our experience to deliver our plans; we’ve successfully transformed some particularly challenging places such as Park Hill in Sheffield, Royal William Yard in Plymouth, and New Islington in Manchester – places where we’ve won awards for our work. We’ll be drawing on our ideas and experience there and applying it as we help to shape Swansea.”
The spokeswoman also pointed out that plans were still in the “early ideas stage”, and they were working to shape their ideas based on the needs and wants of local people.
So, what can we expect?
New homes, new offices, and hospitality hubs – primarily.
Urban Splash aims to transform Swansea Central North (located at the former St David’s Shopping Centre site) into a hub of office buildings and new apartments.
The council has said the site aims to capitalise on the increased demand for craft-based goods, as well as create space for small creative businesses.
New residential properties will also be welcomed in a city that’s faced criticism for its growing housing crisis.
Embracing the River Tawe
Abertawe means “mouth of the river”, but, admittedly, in Swansea there hasn’t exactly been a huge amount to see around the Tawe. As an early proposal, Urban Splash has laid out ambitious plans to create a residential-led regeneration of the 7.5acre riverfront piece of land in St Thomas.
This riverside regeneration will feature more of the much-needed family homes and apartments, and aims to create a new terraced river walk that will give locals direct access to the River Tawe – paying homage to Swansea’s Welsh namesake.
This would be the first time the public would have had direct access to the River Tawe in more than 150 years.
Civic Centre transformation
It’s no secret that the Civic Centre has been earmarked for a new future for some time, sitting as it does on a prime spot of real estate next to Swansea’s glorious bay, but Urban Splash has put forward plans for the area to become a mixed-use destination featuring new homes with a strong focus on greenery, hospitality and leisure.
The company is well experienced in revamping brutalist buildings, evidenced in its award-winning colourful regeneration of the Park Hill building in Sheffield.
Urban Splash’s spokeswoman added: “We have been really impressed with the ambition and vision of Swansea Council and look forward to working in partnership with this amazing city on the beach using our experience, capital and resources to strengthen their vision and deliver exceptional living, working and leisure spaces to help more people live well by design.
“We’re committed to making a difference and giving people great places to live, work and play in.
“In all our work we refer to the oath sworn by the citizens of Ancient Athens: ‘We shall leave this city not less, but greater, better and more beautiful than it was left to us’.
“It’s a mantra we’re applying in Swansea as we move forward with our plans.”
We have been really impressed with the ambition and vision of Swansea Council and look forward to working in partnership with this amazing city on the beach using our experience, capital and resources to strengthen their vision and deliver exceptional living, working and leisure spaces to help more people live well by design