Council bid to protect and enhance ‘Dylan’s Swansea’
A review has been carried out to help enhance and better protect the character of Swansea’s Uplands and Ffynone areas in future, reports Robin Turner
PLANS are under way to protect and enhance the special character of the area where Dylan Thomas grew up.
A conservation area review undertaken by Swansea council has looked at ways of safeguarding the Victorian and Edwardian architecture in the Uplands and nearby Ffynone areas of Swansea.
If approved by the council’s cabinet this week, the review will be referred to the authority’s planning committee for adoption as planning guidance in the city.
The review has found the key characteristics of Uplands and Ffynone that should be preserved or enhanced include St James’s Church, the area’s links with Thomas, and green spaces such as Cwmdonkin Park, St James’ Gardens, and the Rosehill Quarry Community Park.
Other special features include well-preserved villas and terraced houses in areas like Ffynone Road, the inter-war development at Hillside Crescent, and the well-detailed terraced houses in Cwmdonkin Terrace, Richmond Road and Richmond Terrace.
It’s also being proposed to extend the conservation area to include areas like Glanmor Crescent, the northern end of Brynymor Road, and the southern side of Walter Road.
The review follows extensive consultation with local residents, businesses and other organisations.
Public comments, when asked what people liked about the Ffynone area included: “The architecture of the houses – it’s unique and quite eclectic.
“Also the trees, the green spaces (Cwmdonkin and St James’) and the way the streets are laid out.
“It all demonstrates that there was once a plan for developing urban Swansea – it’s beautifully designed and really works as a suburb of the city.
“There’s a real sense of community too – lots of interesting people, it’s cosmopolitan (for Swansea) and that’s what makes it a great place to live. People care about the area, that’s a good thing.”
Dislikes included: “Absentee landlords.
“There are many properties in the existing and proposed extended conservation area that are very badly maintained with frontages left in a totally unkempt condition.”
Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea council’s cabinet member for enterprise, development and regeneration, said: “The Uplands and Ffynone parts of our city are among Swansea’s most picturesque but their status as conservation areas hadn’t, until now, been assessed and updated for some time.
“We have a duty to protect the special character of these areas for the benefit of residents and visitors to Swansea so the review we’ve carried out is proposing a number of revisions and additions to a policy that’s already in place.
“Hundreds of views have been taken on board to inform the review, which explains the need to protect the areas because of their townscape, listed buildings, buildings of local character, key materials, and colour.
“If the review is adopted as supplementary planning guidance in future then it will better preserve and enhance a cherished feature of Swansea’s rich heritage.
“Conservation areas status doesn’t mean there can’t be any change.
“It just means there’s a greater level of design and development control to protect the special quality and character of the area.”
Also being proposed is the removal of permitted development rights for certain changes within the conservation area that don’t currently require planning permission, including the removal of front boundaries and the changing of windows and chimneys that could undermine the area’s special character.
The character appraisal element of the review is proposing to split the conservation area into 10 parts to better manage and potential changes.