Oceana purchase to Kick-start Swansea’s Kingsway Regeneration

A NEW office building is being proposed for the space on Kingsway where the former Oceana nightclub now stands.

Swansea Council has now completed a deal to buy the city centre property as its plans to transform the area into an employment district gather pace.

Proposals will see the existing building demolished and, subject to funding, the construction of a new office development on site.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “We know far more people need to be working and living in the city centre to create more vibrancy, attract more private sector investment and generate the kind of visitor numbers that are essential to strengthening its place as a key driver of the Swansea Bay City Region economy as a whole.

“The decline of Kingsway as a nightlife and retail destination means it’s the ideal location for an employment district that would combine office and residential developments to help deliver the footfall levels needed to support our existing traders and encourage more high-quality shops, restaurants and other businesses to invest in Swansea.

“Buying the former Oceana nightclub property is a statement of intent. It shows how serious we are about delivering our vision, but the building as it currently stands isn’t fit for purpose as an office development. This is why the plan is to construct a new building on site once it’s been demolished.

“We also realise the look and feel of Kingsway needs addressing if we’re to meet the requirements of office and residential developers. This is why we’ll soon be pursuing funding options for our early proposal to develop a green, pedestrian-friendly plaza on the road that would include high-quality public spaces, trees and seating areas.”

Originally built by the Rank Organisation in 1967 for a cinema, the 0.55-acre site on the Kingsway has also accommodated a number of bars and nightclubs over the years, including Ritzy and Icon, Time and Envy, and, most recently, Oceana.