Talks on-going with indoor arena operators

Major plans for a new indoor arena in Swansea city centre are gathering momentum.

Swansea Council and Rivington Land, the company appointed to manage the regeneration of the St David’s development site, have now held talks with a number of expert indoor arena operators.

A 4,000-seat indoor arena set within a new, landscaped space has been earmarked for land south of Oystermouth Road, as well as car parking and a hotel, with the potential for a residential tower too.

Superstar singer Bonnie Tyler is among those to have backed the arena plan.

Other winning ideas for the St David’s development site include 200,000 square feet of commercial space including shops, restaurants and a cinema on land north of Oystermouth Road. Private and affordable housing have also been proposed, as well as student accommodation and a new car park.

The St David’s development site is made up of the former St David’s shopping centre, the St David’s multi-storey car park and the LC car park.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “The winning ideas for the regeneration of the St David’s and Civic Centre sites will help transform Swansea city centre into a leading destination for retail, leisure and recreation.

“These plans, combined with several other projects, will considerably improve city centre footfall, boost existing traders and reinforce Swansea city centre’s role as a key driver of the Swansea Bay City Region economy.

“When we announced the winning ideas for the St David’s development site, the potential for a major new indoor arena excited the people of Swansea, so it’s pleasing that we’ve been able to make considerable progress in recent months as we set about further exploring its feasibility and potential make-up. This would be the biggest ever cultural investment in Swansea.

“We already have the Liberty Stadium and smaller venues like the Grand Theatre, but an arena of this size would meet demand by attracting touring shows like Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor, leading comedians and major exhibitions. We’re determined to deliver on our plans for the benefit of Swansea residents and will continue to keep people updated with progress. We anticipate being on site at St David’s in 2018.”

Preliminary discussions have also now started with retailers, restaurants and cinema operators who could make up the St David’s scheme, with detailed design work under way as well.

Other progress includes on-going masterplan work for the Civic Centre site, which will inform the timescale for development there. Trebor Developments, who are managing the regeneration of the Civic Centre site, are proposing 480 residential units, a 70,000 square foot space for a hotel or offices, and a 20,000 to 30,000 square foot space for food and drink businesses.

It’s also being proposed the company works closely alongside Swansea University to further explore the potential for a ‘hydro hub’ at the site that could include a public aquarium and a state-of-the-art aquatic sciences research centre.