Step forward for city centre regeneration plans

Major plans to transform Swansea city centre into a top class retail, leisure and recreational destination have taken a step forward.

Planning consultants Savills have written to Swansea Council’s planning services team on behalf of Rivington Land, the company appointed to manage the development of the St David’s site, asking if an environmental impact assessment needs to be prepared for their planned scheme.

If required, the environmental impact assessment would form part of a planning application the company is looking to submit for consideration in the spring of 2017.

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.

The Savills’ letter also includes a plan that shows the potential for the extent of the site, although the site’s size could be reduced, depending on the form of the final scheme in future.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “When we marketed the St David’s site, we were hugely impressed with Rivington Land’s ideas for the site, which is why we appointed them as our development managers.

“Their proposals for 200,000 square feet of new shops, restaurants, cafes and a cinema, as well as a 3,500-seat indoor arena, car parking, student accommodation and affordable housing, are very ambitious, but they match our ambition to transform Swansea city centre into a vibrant, top quality destination for residents, traders and visitors.

“Considerable progress is being made behind the scenes as we continue to prioritise the delivery of these exciting plans. Discussions with retailers, indoor arena operators, restaurant businesses and cinema operators who could make up the final scheme are well underway, with the potential preparation of an environmental impact assessment showing the company is on track to submit a planning application in the spring.

“This is major scheme, so things can’t happen overnight, but it’s our intention for construction to start on site in 2018.”

The council has also appointed Trebor Developments to manage the regeneration of the Civic Centre site. Masterplan work for that site is on-going, which will inform the timescale for development there.

Winning ideas for the site include 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.