Work teams and excavators moved onto Wellington Street on Monday to take the first physical steps in helping Swansea Council deliver phase one of the vast Swansea Central project.
By the end of 2020 phase one of the £200m development – either side of Oystermouth Road taking in the LC car park and St Mary’s car park and bordering buildings such as Tesco, St David’s Church and the LC – will have a stunning new look.
It will boast the hi-tech arena, beach park, digital plaza, “gateway” landmark bridge over the main road, new car parking, affordable private homes and new commercial space. Phase two will follow, bringing a mix of enhanced new retail, restaurants and leisure.
The radical transformation will strengthen the links between city centre and waterfront.
Council leader Rob Stewart said:
“Swansea Central Phase One will be a world-class development, creating jobs, boosting the economy of Swansea and delivering a one-of-a-kind arena with aspects not seen in the UK before. Local residents and businesses will soon see a transformed city centre that is a truly great place to spend time, live, work and enjoy.”
Outline planning permission has been granted for Swansea Central Phase One. A detailed planning application was published this week and a cinematic fly-through will be released to the public shortly.
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The work taking place in Wellington Street – between Tesco and the Quadrant multi-story car park – will bring two-way traffic to that road, an improved junction with Albert Row and a new, improved Wellington Street traffic access to Tesco.
The Tesco car park, Quadrant car park and St Mary’s Car Park in St David’s Place will remain open throughout the Wellington Street works.
The bus station’s taxi rank will remain open; buses that use the Wellington Street bus stops will continue to do so for the time being.
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The Swansea Highways Partnership are undertaking the work. The plan is to work on the north side of Wellington Street and Albert Row junction from August to mid-November and on Tesco and the south side of Wellington Street from early January to April. The work will take a planned break to allow for the busy Christmas shopping period.
The indoor arena, digital square and digital village are due to be part-funded by the Swansea Bay City Deal, a £1.3bn investment in 11 projects across South West Wales being funded by the UK Government, the Welsh Government, the public sector and the private sector.
