A delayed multi-storey car park with five retail units is finally nearing completion in Swansea. The building at the rear of the Tesco superstore off Oystermouth Road is part of the council’s £135m Copr Bay scheme, which created the Swansea Building Society Arena, a block of flats, and a new park.
Opening Date Imminent
Councillors on a scrutiny panel heard an opening date for the multi-storey would be announced shortly, and snagging works at the nearby arena site were also due to finish soon. The arena opened in March 2022, with the multi-storey car park originally scheduled to follow. However, the contractor, Buckingham Group, went into administration in 2023, forcing the council to appoint a different company to complete the car park and other snagging work.
Revised Completion Target
It has taken a lot longer than expected, but a report before the service improvement, regeneration, and finance scrutiny panel indicated a revised completion target of next month. Councillors asked about costs incurred and whether tenants had been found for the car park’s retail units.
Council leader Rob Stewart said money had been held back as part of the Copr Bay contract to cover various eventualities and that this “remains sufficient” to cover costs. The authority has also received a £4.8m Welsh Government grant to help finish the car park and retail units. “We are coming to the end of the works on the car park at Copr Bay,” said Cllr Stewart.
Retail Unit Interest
Lee Richards, the council’s regeneration strategic manager, said marketing was taking place for the retail units with “very strong” interest in two of them. The panel also asked about other major development projects planned or under way, including proposals for the former Marks & Spencer store on Oxford Street.
Mr Richards said he has been liaising with Marks & Spencer for a while, and the company “was receptive” to a number of potential sites the council was putting forward so it could retain a presence in the city, although it does have food stores in Mumbles and Fforestfach Retail Park. There was no mention of potential options for the Oxford Street building.
Other Major Projects
Elsewhere, work is due to start soon on a new public sector office hub at the former St David’s shopping centre site, and the St David’s multi-storey car park will be knocked down. Phil Holmes, head of planning and city regeneration, said the aim was to finish the public sector hub in early 2028 – the same year, he said, developer Skyline Enterprises sought to open its leisure attraction on Kilvey Hill.
Mr Holmes also said a planning application to transform the Civic Centre site into a housing, retail, leisure, and cultural destination was due to be submitted this summer by the council’s regeneration partner Urban Splash.
Civic Centre Redevelopment
Cllr Chris Holley asked for further details about the Civic Centre scheme, including a £20m UK Government grant for the first phase of the redevelopment. Mr Richards said the building would, following surveys, be stripped out between November this year and June 2027 if all went to plan, and that it could open in its new guise in May 2029.
Cllr Holley asked who was paying for the strip-out work, given that asbestos had been found in a large Oxford Street building that is now a central library and hub. Mr Richards said the cost was currently being covered by the £20m grant. “We know there is an element of asbestos within the building,” he said.
Castle Square Redevelopment
Cllr Stewart meanwhile said there was significant interest in two pavilion units that are part of the council’s ongoing Castle Square redevelopment in the city centre. There will also be a large screen for things like sporting events. In answer to a question by Cllr Dai Jenkins, the Labour leader said the authority would see if it could bring the timetable forward so that next year’s Six Nations tournament could be shown on the big screen.
