City centre scaffolding erected in 2018 is finally removed

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

Scaffolding which has outlasted four Prime Ministers, a global pandemic and had several metres of rain fall on it has finally been taken down from a row of city centre shops and cafes.

What goes up must come down, but it has taken more than five-and-a-half years for this particular scaffolding to answer the call of gravity on Princess Way and Castle Street due to delays and complications investigating a potential defect in the building’s tile-covered walls.

It meant that businesses below were partially obscured by a metal skeleton and netting above to prevent the possibility of tiles falling onto the street. First put up in around November 2018 no-one could have imagined it would still be there in 2024. In that time businesses have come and gone below while others have stayed the course.

Now Princess Way and the nearby corner of Castle Street have shed their second skin and emerged once more into the sunlight – looking pretty much as they used to – and footfall has already improved at Danish-themed retailer Tiger, according to a member of staff. “It’s a lot busier,” she said of the Princess Way shop. “Some people were saying they didn’t know we were here, although we have been for eight or nine years.”

Pressure Washing

Perry Oktay, a sales executive at menswear shop Slater, on Princess Way, said he’d heard that a bit of pressure-washing will take place very shortly. “Hopefully then it’ll be looking brand spanking new,” he said. The absence of scaffolding will also mean the shop can finally address a ground-floor drainage issue which couldn’t be done while it was up.

Theresa May was Prime Minister in November 2018, Covid-19 was unheard of and Wales had, in glorious fashion, reached the semi-finals of the previous Uefa European Championship. Reliable annual rainfall stats are hard to come by but most agree that Swansea receives more than a metre of rain per year, so around six metres of rain fell on the scaffolding.

The company which organised the work, Quantum Swansea LLP, has previously said it acknowledged it was a difficult period for the building’s tenants, while Swansea Council, which doesn’t own the building, said it had been liaising with Quantum Swansea LLP to try and get things over the line.

A breakthrough came last December when Quantum Swansea LLP confirmed that contractors had been engaged, with work to check the tiles due to start in early January. Speaking at the time, Cllr Hannah Lawson, whose ward includes Princess Way, said: “We have made enquiries previously and been assured that the work would be finished imminently. We’ve had numerous discussions with various businesses affected and understand it is frustrating for businesses and shoppers alike, particularly given the beauty and high quality of the building previously on that site.”

There was, however, a further delay but finally workmen got cracking, the tiles were checked and the scaffolding is down. The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted Quantum Swansea LLP but no-one responded at the time of going to press.