Multi-million pound Swansea redevelopment plans approved

Swansea Council has approved plans for a £500M redevelopment scheme which is set to reinvigorate a large swathe of the city centre.

The 11.5-hectare project will be home to new shops, restaurants, offices, housing and a cinema to the north, and an indoor arena and hotel to the south.

The scheme, which is likely to include a number of steel-framed structures, will also involve the partial demolition of the existing St David’s shopping centre.

Council Leader Rob Stewart said: “This will be the biggest change this city has seen since the Second World War. It will be the re-population of the city that it needs to survive.”

Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Major Projects, Robert Francis-Davies added: “Business and footfall have been leaking from the city. Swansea must get what it deserves – a good, vibrant city centre.

“This scheme will act as a catalyst to get people back into the city.”

The council has appointed developer Rivington Land to manage the regeneration scheme. Construction work could start by the middle of 2018.