Oceana photos to spark thousands of memories

PHOTOS have been published that will spark happy memories for many thousands of people across Swansea and south west Wales as a whole.

They were taken in the former Oceana nightclub building shortly after the attraction closed in June 2014.

The building, on Kingsway in Swansea city centre, will be demolished in a project starting later this year.

Swansea Council purchased the building as the first phase of a planned transformation of Kingsway into an employment district.

The building’s fixtures and fittings, including carpets, furniture and lights, have since been stripped out for disposal or recycling.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “The building is now a shell of how it once looked, but many thousands of people will no doubt recognise the carpets, seating areas, staircases and dancefloors in these photos.

“The building was part of Swansea’s nightlife scene for over 40 years, but times have moved on and we have to move with them. Swansea’s nightlife scene has now migrated to Wind Street, this building is no longer fit for purpose and there are far too few people currently living and working in Swansea city centre to support existing traders and attract new investment. This is why we’re planning an employment district on Kingsway that will generate many new jobs and boost city centre footfall and spending.

“Subject to funding, a new office development will be constructed on the Oceana site to kick-start this proposal. We’re also looking at the potential introduction of a green, pedestrian-friendly plaza on Kingsway’s central reserve to generate the kind of environment that will meet the requirements of high quality office and residential developers in future. Work will start on a scheme to remove all eastbound traffic from Kingsway once First Cymru has removed its fleet of ftr Metro vehicles from the road next month.”

Swansea Council will soon appoint a contractor for the demolition job earmarked to start at the end of October this year. Major work on the 27-week project will be restricted to certain hours of the day to minimise the impact of noise.

The building, originally constructed by the Rank Organisation in 1967 for a cinema, has accommodated a number of bars and nightclubs over the years, including Ritzy and Icon, Time and Envy, and, most recently, Oceana.

You can see all 24 photos on Swansea Council’s Facebook page.