Views wanted on city centre future plan

YOUR views are needed on how Swansea city centre can best compete with out-of-town retail parks, create more jobs and offer an improved visitor experience.

Swansea Council is opening up the former City Centre Management offices on Plymouth Street on Monday March 30 and Tuesday March 31 to give people the chance to have their say on the revised Swansea City Centre Strategic Framework – a document that will guide the regeneration of the city centre over the next decade or so.

The framework’s key themes are to increase employment opportunities in the city centre, to develop a mixed-use leisure and retail heart, to generate better connections between the city centre and the waterfront, and to introduce more greenery.

Some of its aims include helping reinforce Swansea’s reputation as a regional capital for commerce, shopping and entertainment. Others include building on Swansea’s reputation for uniqueness and making it easier than ever for pedestrians and motorists to find their way around the city centre. The importance of top quality urban environments and regenerating historic areas and buildings is also highlighted.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “Swansea city centre is underperforming, despite the continued hard work of our fantastic traders. It’s clear the traditional retail model isn’t working, so what we’re looking to do is combat factors like out-of-town retail parks and internet shopping by generating a vibrant, mixed-use city centre where people will want to live, work, shop, visit, spend time and enjoy.

“A current and relevant City Centre Strategic Framework is essential, but it’s now been revised to reflect our research that shows what it’ll take for Swansea city centre to thrive. The framework will help guide future development and investment, but we want to offer residents and businesses the chance to give their feedback before a final document is in place. A strong Swansea city centre isn’t just important for Swansea – it’s also been identified as a key economic driver for the Swansea Bay City Region as a whole.”

Swansea Council has already marketed the Civic Centre and St David’s sites to developers in a bid to develop a mixed-use city centre that’s innovatively linked to a world class waterfront. The Kingsway is also being earmarked as an employment district to help generate the level of footfall that will support existing businesses and attract more investment.