Swansea residents are being asked what they’d most like to see taken into account if council services were to move from the Civic Centre to a new city centre building.
Their responses could range from the new site’s location to its food and drink facilities – and from its transport links and parking facilities to its accessibility and toilet facilities.
The survey comes at the initial stages of Swansea Council considering a move away from its seafront site into a new city centre hub for public sector services.
Geoff Bacon, the council’s head of property services, said: “I urge the public to have their say in this consultation; we want any replacement location for the Civic Centre to be influenced significantly by the public’s needs and aspirations.
“The proposals are at an early stage and no decisions will be made before a full business case has been drawn up and people have had their say.”
The release of the Civic Centre site will create the opportunity to regenerate the seafront area.
If the move to a new public sector hub goes ahead the earliest any staff would transfer would be 2023. It would come as part of Swansea Central Phase Two, a regeneration project around the city centre St David’s area.
Among the reasons for the proposals is the need for the council to spend significant sums of money on repairs to the Civic Centre site in the next decade and beyond should they remain in occupation.
In addition, new “agile” working arrangements at the council mean that staff demand for space has reduced. It is expected to fall further.
The Civic Centre houses elements such as a council chamber and offices, a public cafe, Swansea Central Library, exhibition space, the West Glamorgan Archive Service, and a council contact centre. It was opened around 37 years ago.
The survey is open until December 31 and can be taken online –www.swansea.gov.uk/civicrelocationsurvey. Paper copies are available at the Civic Centre’s contact centre.
