Two leading businesspeople have praised the ongoing regeneration of Swansea.
Rowland Jones, Director at RJ Chartered Surveyors, and Carwyn Davies, Managing Director of Hacer Developments, think the scale of development work in the city augurs well for a bright future.
Schemes led by Swansea Council include the Copr Bay district, with Swansea Arena, the new bridge over Oystermouth Road and the new coastal park having now been open for over a year.
Projects where construction work is continuing include the 71/72 Kingsway office development at the former Oceana nightclub site that will provide space for 600 workers in sectors like tech and digital.
Developed by the council, Bouygues UK are main contractors for that scheme, with construction anticipated for completion early next year.
Work is also ongoing to bring historic buildings like The Palace Theatre and Albert Hall back into use, and Penderyn is due to open an operational distillery and visitor centre at the Hafod Morfa Copperworks site in the coming months after an extensive conservation project there.
Mr Jones said: “I feel very encouraged about everything that’s happening in Swansea.
“I think the bridge and Swansea Arena have worked really well since opening, and Swansea Council has been right to be bold.
“Along with the new greenery at the coastal park, the arena and bridge combine with the different colours at Copr Bay’s residential unit to add something different and interesting to the skyline.
“It’s also very encouraging to see all the other development work taking place in Swansea and so many buildings being regenerated and brought back into use.
“Where there’s property being developed, there are opportunities for our industry to make an impression. When you see cranes and construction, that’s always good news.”
And among the cranes is one which stands over 50 metres tall at the Picton Yard site between The Kingsway and Oxford Street where Hacer Developments is leading on the construction of a ‘biophilic’ building.
With construction due for completion in the summer of 2024, the new development, made up of the former Woolworths unit and a new adjoining 13-storey structure, will feature an urban farm-style greenhouse over four floors, residential apartments, shops and offices.
Living walls and living roofs will also feature, as well as rooftop solar panels, battery storage and gardens.
Carwyn Davies, Managing Director of Hacer Developments, said: “The regeneration of Swansea is long overdue and very exciting.
“But for regeneration to work, you can’t have one-off schemes. You need groups of schemes – and that’s exactly what’s happening in Swansea, with one example including the closeness of our scheme to the 71/72 Kingsway development.
“With people’s retail habits changing, schemes like these and others are needed to help drive footfall and regeneration in city centres.
“Swansea is on a positive journey and there’s much more to come, but completed schemes like the arena have already added so much to the city. It’s an architecturally stunning building but the quality of acts performing there is also attracting many people who mightn’t otherwise visit the city.
“This helps raise the profile of Swansea as a place to invest.”
The 71/72 Kingsway development is being part-funded by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal and supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. Swansea Arena, being run by Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), is also being part-funded by the City Deal.
