We have worked with a wide range of stakeholders to develop this Framework, which sets out our ambitions for Swansea
Our time is now This is our vision for the future of Swansea: the City Centre Strategic Framework.
over the next 15-20 years. This vision is not an arbitrary one. On the contrary, it is soundly based on the robust evidence of technical studies carried out by a leading team of experienced architectural, property and engineering consultants.
So although our vision is ambitious, we know it’s achievable. And it needs everyone’s support to realise it, from developers and investors, through to residents and businesses.
The Framework is in harmony with the Wales Spatial Plan, with sustainability at its heart – so all the planned changes will last.
Our City Centre is changing Our City Centre is now on the cusp of a huge step-change in terms of facilities, business opportunities, environmental amenity and quality of life.
Princess Way Retail Redevelopment
Swansea City Centre is already evolving: <
£3m of improvements around Oxford Street – new paving, lighting and street furniture
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Waterfront redevelopment – 29-storey tower in Meridian Quay with five more 10-storey towers to surround it
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Redevelopment of Swansea Leisure Centre
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Improved public transport – Metro phase 1 completed 2008
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Princess Way retail redevelopment – £30m first phase of retail regeneration scheme
Everyone stands to benefit from the future Swansea. This is just the beginning.
Leisure Centre
We aim to Our vision is to make Swansea a vibrant, exciting, attractive,
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services, skills and partnerships
sustainable, cultured European Waterfront City Centre,
A vision for Swansea The ambitions set out for our City Centre
Build a competitive City Centre economy founded on new
attracting businesses and visitors, driving the economy and enhancing the quality of life of residents of Swansea and South
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Make Swansea an attractive and accessible retail destination, with major new premises, diverse specialist
West Wales.
shopping, and supporting complementary uses The Framework offers us high hopes for our City Centre, but to realise these, we have to succeed in the following strategic
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Create a high quality, attractive built environment, and make Swansea known as an exemplar for environmental
objectives.
excellence and responsibility <
Maximise the use of our natural river and seafront assets, by creating new links and gateways to make them an integral part of the City Centre
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Improve freedom of movement around and through the City Centre, whether on foot, on public transport or by car
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Make Swansea a true destination city for tourists, visitors and business people alike
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Assert Swansea as the major centre for health, education and other public services and agencies in southwest Wales
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Express and celebrate Swanseaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distinct identity through its landscape, building design, culture and heritage
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Encourage more people to live in the thriving and vibrant City Centre
We can make each one of these objectives a reality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and make Swansea City Centre a better place, for years to come.
How Swansea will look
A glimpse of the future...
A street map of tomorrow’s City Centre
• High Street • Alexandra Road • Orchard Street • Parc Tawe • Mansel Street • The Kingsway Oxford Street •
• Castle Square
Princess Way • • The Quadrant
• St. Mary's Church St. David's •
• West Way
The Strand •
• Quay Parade
• Wind Street Salubrious • Place
Sailbridge •
• Victoria Road
• Oystermouth Road
• Maritime Quarter • Paxton Street SWANSEA
• County Hall
Oxford Street / West Way
Paxton Street
Mansel Street / Alexandra Road
European Boulevard
Oxford Street / Castle Square
St Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s / Quadrant
Kingsway / Orchard Street
European Boulevard
High Street
Wind Street / Princess Way / Strand
Parc Tawe
Sailbridge Site
A dynamic, accessible, mixed-use City Centre
St David’s / Quadrant This is the priority area for regeneration. There is an outstanding opportunity to create a new retail-led, mixeduse scheme in the heart of the City Centre, of a quality that Swansea deserves. Such a scheme will have improved car parking, pedestrian and cycle access, and sustainability at its
The first part of our vision is to give Swansea City Centre a vibrant mixed-use heart. Swansea will become a true European City Centre, bringing together a range of uses, environments and experiences. There will be improved public transport,
Swansea’s vibrant heart
new public spaces, better
core. It will also help connect the City Centre to the waterfront, and be part of the European boulevard.
Oxford Street / Castle Square A £30m fashion retail development is underway at Princess Way. Redevelopment and building enhancements in and around the city’s famous and thriving market will also help make Swansea a compelling and varied retail destination.
Oxford Street West / West Way
surroundings, and a
The aim is to create a specialist retail and cultural area that
fantastic collection of both
celebrates Swansea’s rich heritage and unique character. We
high street and independent
propose creating a new public square, flanked by new and
shops.
refurbished buildings and arcades that encourage the arts, creative businesses and buzzing street life with a character all of its own.
Life in the new Swansea will be much more active,
Wind Street / Princess Way / Strand
inspiring and fulfilling. By redeveloping and
This Conservation Area is already known for its extensive
regenerating key areas
leisure and entertainment offer. New developments and
of the City Centre, it will
enhanced pedestrian routes will further strengthen its lifestyle
become a great place to
appeal and its links to the waterfront and Maritime Quarter.
live, visit, shop, work and socialise... or just to sit back and contemplate. Quadrant Square
Grand Theatre Square
St David’s Square
Safer, easier movement between City Centre and seafront
Oystermouth Road / Victoria Road / Quay Parade The Oystermouth Road corridor will properly link the City Centre to the waterfront, rather than acting as a partial barrier between them.
The second theme of our vision is to transform the current highway corridor that runs from Oystermouth Road to Quay Parade into a true European-style boulevard.
A European boulevard
Our vision for this area also involves expanding City Centre facilities to the south of Oystermouth Road, and improving the environment and appearance of the corridor. We will do this by creating new public spaces and buildings, and by enhancing existing spaces to encourage street-level activity. By moving building frontages forward onto the rear edge of the
We plan to create an urban
pavement, and by building high quality new developments in
route alive with movement
keeping with Swansea’s architectural heritage, we will create
and activity, that’s as
a more attractive welcome to Swansea – and encourage
pleasing to look at as it is to
pedestrians to walk from the City Centre to the waterfront.
use. Improved signal controls will help keep traffic flowing, and a This new boulevard will be
proposed new Metro route along the boulevard will further
an important link between
improve the movement of people across the City Centre.
the City Centre, waterfront and River Tawe. Pedestrians
Striking new public spaces and high quality landscape,
will have equal priority with
similar to that introduced at Museum Green, which will itself
other road users along
be enhanced, will improve the street-level environment and
this boulevard, and we will
complement the attractive new building frontages.
introduce attractive new crossing squares at key locations along its entire length.
European Boulevard - Quay Parade
Swansea’s waterfront assets brought centre stage
Paxton Street With its stunning elevated views out to sea and landward aspects over the City Centre, this area could be transformed into an iconic destination. New gateway and landmark buildings, mixed-use developments and attractively landscaped public spaces can help fulfil its true potential.
Allied to the European boulevard concept, is the third theme of our vision: to establish new routes that better link the City Centre to the waterfront. Many people see the waterfront as Swansea’s best asset – but its real
Waterfront and city connection
leisure and amenity value
Sailbridge With a prime waterfront position close to the City Centre and the fast-growing SA1 Swansea Waterfront development, the Sailbridge area will become a key pedestrian gateway and meeting place centred on a new public square. The time is right for it to be transformed into a fresh, vibrant lifestyle quarter, offering a diverse range of restaurants and bars, and even small business space, with some retained car parking.
Maritime Quarter
is currently under-utilised. By making it an active part
The Maritime Quarter is already established as a successful
of the wider City Centre,
residential district within the City Centre. And with sensitive
we can go a long way to
development and enhancement, aided by new pedestrian and
making our city the unique
cycle links, it too is poised to become an even more attractive
European waterfront
and distinctive destination and a real asset to Swansea’s
destination we want it to be.
waterfront.
Even more, with new mixed-use developments and environmental enhancements, together with the attraction of new facilities, businesses and residents will make the waterfront a renowned international destination in its own right.
Sailbridge Square
Playing up the real strengths of Swansea’s City Centre localities
Mansel Street / Alexandra Road Future development will promote civic, cultural and educational activities, and encourage residential and business use. We will also preserve its special architectural character by making refurbishment a priority.
The final theme of our vision is to develop the roles of Swansea’s City Centre districts. Swansea’s diverse districts are part of our City Centre’s
Complementary districts Kingsway / Orchard Street
personality. In future each district will have its own
The vision for Kingsway is to create a more attractive centre for
identity, based on the
both daytime and nightlife activities. We further encourage the
key role it plays within the
development of new mixed-use space, including residential,
community – whether that
and support the greater use of upper floors on Kingsway
is civic, social, cultural or
Circle. Further work will enhance the reconfigured Kingsway/
educational.
Orchard Street, following the Swansea Metro initiative, with improved pedestrian access and scope for more street-level
The Framework aims to
activity.
recognise and celebrate the districts’ strengths, improve
High Street
their links with the City Centre, and ensure that we
Once Swansea’s retail heart, our vision here is to create a
act appropriately both to
mixed-use district with a distinctive character and sound
sustain and enhance them.
environment, recognising its role as an approach to both the City Centre and to the city’s main rail terminus. We will encourage further development, as well as refurbishment of poorly maintained buildings.
Parc Tawe Parc Tawe will continue its function as a leisure destination and bulky-goods retail park that complements the City Centre’s retail offer. In future the area will benefit from an improved environment, particularly along the riverfront, and improved pedestrian links to the City Centre. New traffic management measures will also help make access easier by car. Future mixed-use development, including commercial activities, and improvements at Parc Tawe will be significant in scale, to emphasise its role as a gateway to the City Centre, and to create a statement building that contributes positively to the Kingsway Circle
European boulevard.
On a warm, sunny Friday morning in August, Molly arrives
Swansea is the regional capital of South West Wales, home
at Swansea rail station. She walks out of the concourse and
of the National Waterfront Museum, Wales National Pool, and
within a few minutes steps onto a Metro bus that takes her all
the Liberty Stadium. It also has a beautiful coastline around
the way to the waterfront.
Swansea Bay and Gower – the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Walking on to the beach, she can hardly believe that the City Centre, with all the interesting-looking shops and public
One day in the future
spaces she passed, is so close to this beautiful bay. Molly finds a quiet spot a short distance down the beach, and lies back to soak up the sun. Before she knows it, it’s 1pm. Time for lunch. She gathers her things and heads up to a little open-air brasserie in the Maritime Quarter.
Swansea City Centre is easily accessible by road, rail and air.
Swansea City Centre
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Imagine what life is like in Swansea, 2020
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After lunch Molly strolls along the European boulevard, ����
admiring the historic buildings and bold new architecture, and
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crosses Oystermouth Road heading for St David’s, with all its
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chic clothes shops.
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SWANSEA
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A couple of hours later she’s at the market – a great opportunity to pick up some local ingredients for dinner. Now it’s time to go to her friend’s place – Molly walks up to High Street to visit Megan, who has a live/work apartment in a refurbished heritage building. That evening they go to see a new play at the Grand Theatre, and before it starts they take a few minutes to wander around a sculpture exhibition in the new public square. After the show, the City Centre is buzzing. It’s too early and too alive to go home yet, so they walk over to Wind Street, where there’s a new boutique hotel bar to discover.
The Swansea City Centre Team The City and County of Swansea and the Welsh Assembly Government have been working with the Swansea City Centre
Time to enjoy a few cocktails and round off
Partnership to prepare the City Centre Strategic Framework. A
City and County of
Welsh Assembly
a beautiful day in the new Swansea.
number of exciting development opportunities are now on the
Swansea
Government
horizon, and regeneration of the City Centre will allow Swansea
Economic and Strategic
Department for Enterprise,
to realise its potential as a distinctive European Waterfront City.
Development Division
Innovation and Networks
Regeneration Department
Llys y Ddraig
Further information on the Swansea City Centre Strategic
County Hall
Penllergaer Business Park
Framework is available on –
Oystermouth Road
Penllergaer
www.swansea.gov.uk/citycentrestrategicframework
Swansea SA1 3SN
Swansea SA4 9NX
For more information about Swansea as a place to live, study,
Tel: +44 1792 636978
Tel: +44 1792 222422
work or visit, log on to www.abayoflife.com
Fax: +44 1792 637416
Fax: +44 1792 222499
The images used throughout this document are graphic representations and are intended for indicative purposes only.