Popular Swansea grassroots music venue set for greener future with latest investment

Nation.Cymru staff

A Swansea city centre music venue is benefiting from a package of support and investment that is helping make the building greener, more resilient and more sustainable.

The recent improvements at The Bunkhouse on Kingsway will help safeguard the grassroots music venue’s future, create new opportunities for artists and visitors, and support Swansea’s cultural scene.

Swansea Council has helped secure Welsh Government support for The Bunkhouse through programmes including Transforming Towns and Green Infrastructure, alongside the venue benefiting from Music Venue Trust’s Off The Grid programme.

Together with Music Venue Properties, the Charitable Community Benefit Society (CBS) that purchased the venue in 2024, this support has brought organisations across local and national government, the music sector and community ownership together around a shared ambition to make The Bunkhouse more sustainable, resilient and secure for the future.

Recent work has included essential repairs to three leaking flat roofs, the installation of biodiverse green roofs and integrated solar panels, with further sustainability measures including battery storage also planned.

The improvements will increase biodiversity, help manage rainwater more effectively, improve the resilience of the building and enable greater use of renewable energy.

The Bunkhouse is an established community hub that provides performance, rehearsal and creative space for local artists and promoters.

Music Venue Properties, the CBS established to secure the long-term future of grassroots music venues, acquired the building in August 2024 through community ownership, protecting the venue for the long term and creating opportunities for continued investment in the building and its future.

Elliott King, Swansea council’s cabinet member for culture, human rights and equalities, said: “Grassroots music venues play an important role in Swansea’s cultural life, helping local artists develop their talents while attracting visitors into the city centre.

“This investment demonstrates how we’re working with partners to support businesses, improve buildings, strengthen our creative industries and create opportunities for future generations.

“It is great to see different organisations coming together around The Bunkhouse and helping create a more sustainable and resilient future for an important part of Swansea’s cultural scene.”

Grassroots music

Matthew Otridge, chief operating officer of Music Venue Properties, said: “The Bunkhouse is a great example of what can be achieved when different organisations come together with a shared ambition for the future of a grassroots music venue.

“Community ownership has given us the opportunity to secure The Bunkhouse for the long term, and the support we’re now receiving from Swansea Council, Welsh Government and Music Venue Trust is helping us invest in the building and make it more sustainable and resilient.

“From essential building improvements to green infrastructure and renewable energy, we’re working to create a venue that’s fit for the future. Ultimately, this is about ensuring The Bunkhouse can continue to support artists, bring audiences together and remain an important part of Swansea’s cultural community for generations to come, continuing to create amazing memories along the way.”

Fran Rolfe, Green Infrastructure specialist, Natural Resources Wales, said: “As we face the growing impacts of climate change, it is increasingly important that buildings and infrastructure are adapted to be more resilient and sustainable.

“The improvements at The Bunkhouse, including the biodiverse green roofs, will help manage the effects of heavier rainfall, support urban wildlife and make better use of renewable energy.

“This project demonstrates how partners can work together to take practical climate action while helping to secure the future of an important cultural asset for Swansea.”

Music Venue Trust CEO, Mark Davyd said: “Through Off The Grid, Music Venue Trust is focused on practical interventions that can reduce energy costs and make venues more sustainable and resilient for the long term.

“At The Bunkhouse, that work can complement the investment already being made in the building and help build on what has already been achieved. This kind of collaborative approach is exactly what grassroots music venues need.

“By bringing together local and national government, community ownership and support from the music industry, we can move beyond simply protecting venues and start investing in making them stronger and fit for the future.”

Incredibly difficult 

Jordan McGuire, operator of The Bunkhouse said, “The last couple of years have been incredibly difficult. We’ve dealt with some horrendous storms, ongoing water ingress, major building works, rising operating costs and the constant financial pressures that come with running an independent venue.

“The roof in particular has been a massive undertaking. What started as an already serious problem became something much bigger and getting to where we are now has taken an awful lot of work.

“It’s been a genuine collaboration between ourselves and MVP, working closely with Swansea Council, MVT, Welsh Government and others to get the investment and support needed.

“We’ve now got major roof improvements, a new solar installation and a building that’s being given the attention it desperately needed for years. What I’m particularly proud of is that throughout all of this, we’ve never stopped doing what The Bunkhouse exists to do. We’ve continued building a music community in Swansea that we’re incredibly proud of.”

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