Discussions on-going with city centre shortlisted bidders

THREE rounds of in-depth discussions have already been held with regeneration specialists competing to transform Swansea city centre.

Competitive dialogue with representatives of each of the shortlisted bids to redevelop the Civic Centre and St David’s sites is now well under way as Swansea Council looks to appoint development partners by the end of the year.

Bids from Bellerophon, who are heading up a consortium bid including M&G (Prudential), Dawnus Construction, SSE & Apollo (IMAX), are among those being considered. Other shortlisted bidders include Queensberry Real Estate, Rightacre/Exemplar, Rivington Land and Acme, and Trebor Developments.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “We’re committed not just to getting our regeneration proposals right, but also to deliver them as quickly as possible because the people of Swansea have waited far too long for the kind of thriving city centre they deserve. The Civic Centre and St David’s sites were only put on the marketplace earlier this year but we’re already making significant progress.

“Some exciting ideas on how best to realise our outline proposals for these two key sites have been raised during our comprehensive discussions with specialist regeneration companies so far. Four more rounds of dialogue will now be taking place before the end of August when we’ll start taking stock of everything that’s been discussed and then determine which bids best meet the needs of Swansea residents, businesses and visitors to the city. The shortlisted experts, as part of the discussions, are also being asked how they’d go about innovatively connecting the Civic Centre and St David’s sites as we look to further improve links between the city centre and our world class seafront.

“Swansea really is going places. A word first tidal lagoon for Swansea Bay has been given the green light, Sir Terry Matthews is leading the charge to attract more investment and encourage innovation as Chairman of the
Swansea Bay City Region Board, and two new university campuses are in the pipeline. A regenerated city centre with a vibrant mix of shops, traditional market stalls, offices, flats, cinemas and restaurants that builds on Swansea’s strengths will boost its role as a key driver of the Swansea Bay City Region economy as a whole.”

A mixed-use leisure and retail destination is proposed for the St David’s site that would combine a new public square with shops, restaurants, a cinema and a new office development.

Outline proposals for the Civic Centre site include landmark tourist developments and high quality public spaces.
Swansea University is also exploring the potential for a hydro hub research and development facility on the site that could include an iconic aquarium.

Some of the schemes the shortlisted bidders have been involved in include Cardiff’s Central Square, Embankment in London, Trostre in Llanelli, Drake Circus in Plymouth, The Arc at Bury St Edmunds, Northgate in Chester, Cannock’s Gateway retail development, Birmingham’s Grand Hotel, Friar’s Walk in Newport and Belfast’s Victoria Square.