Protecting the character of Uplands and Ffynone

A review has been carried out to enhance and better protect the special character of Uplands and Ffynone in future.

The conservation area review undertaken by Swansea Council is made up of a character appraisal and a management plan aimed at guiding the preservation and enhancement of both communities.

If approved by Cabinet at a meeting next week, the review will be referred to the authority’s Planning Committee for adoption as supplementary planning guidance.

The review has found the key characteristics of Uplands and Ffynone that should be preserved or enhanced include St James’s Church, the area’s links with Dylan Thomas and green spaces such as Cwmdonkin Park, St James’s Gardens and Rosehill Quarry Community Park. Others include well-preserved villas and terraced houses in areas like Ffynone Road, the inter-war development at Hillside Crescent and the well-detailed terraced houses on Cwmdonkin Terrace, Richmond Road and Richmond Terrace.

It’s also being proposed to extend the conservation area to include areas like Glanmor Crescent, the northern end of Brynymor Road and the southern side of Walter Road.

The review follows extensive consultation with local residents, businesses and other organisations.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “The Uplands and Ffynone parts of our city are among Swansea’s most picturesque, but their status as conservation areas hadn’t, until now, been assessed and updated for some time.

“We have a duty to protect the special character of these areas for the benefit of residents and visitors to Swansea, so the review we’ve carried out is proposing a number of revisions and additions to a policy that’s already in place.

“Hundreds of views have been taken on board to inform the review, which explains the need to protect the areas because of their townscape, listed buildings, buildings of local character, key materials and colour.

“If the review is adopted as supplementary planning guidance in future, then it will better preserve and enhance a cherished feature of Swansea’s rich heritage.

“Conservation areas status doesn’t mean there can’t be any change. It just means there’s a greater level of design and development control to protect the special quality and character of the area.”

Also being proposed is the removal of permitted development rights for certain changes within the conservation area that don’t currently require planning permission, including the removal of front boundaries and the changing of windows and chimneys that could undermine the area’s special character.

The character appraisal element of the review is proposing to split the conservation area into 10 parts in future to better manage and control potential changes.