Leaky office block to be extended and renovated to create 48 flats

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

A “classically-inspired” office building which was once considered for demolition will be given a new lease of life as flats and commercial units.

Two new floors will be added to the former Ty Gwalia building, 7-13 The Kingsway in Swansea, and a rear garage knocked down and replaced with a six-storey apartment block. This will create a total of 48 new flats along with three ground-floor commercial units.

The main building will feature a new central atrium and glazed rooftop louvres. There’ll also be rooftop solar panels and a green – or living – roof area and also a green internal wall.

The one, two, three and four-bedroom flats will be managed by housing association Beacon Cymru, which is behind the project with construction partner Morganstone Ltd.

Planning approval

The development has been given planning approval by the council’s planning committee, which heard that the existing building, while looking in reasonable condition from the outside, had seen better days.

A planning officer told councillors: “I have been in the building, it’s in a dreadful state. There’s a lot of water ingress, a lack of maintenance, it’s in a very poor state of repair.”

Ty Gwalia is not a listed building but a report before councillors said it was of local interest due to the “high quality prominent classically-inspired elevations”, and on this basis the retention of the majority of the building’s façade was welcomed.

The report said the building was formerly a butter-packing factory, a department store and more latterly offices before the occupants left for new premises five years ago. In 2021 the building’s then owners gained planning consent to demolish it and replace it with a car park for three years pending further redevelopment options. It was then bought by Beacon Cymru, and is being renamed Ty Menyn.

Council-led development

The committee heard that new office space has been created nearby at a new council-led development called 71/72 The Kingsway and also at private sector schemes called Princess Quarter and Biome in the city centre. The planning officer said that in this respect the change of use of the building to residential was justified.

There will be a dedicated storage area for at least 38 bikes, including charging points for electric ones, and no on-site car parking. A developer contribution of £27,875 for on-street electric vehicle charging points and/or cycling and walking improvements will be also be required.

Rhianydd Jenkins, executive director of development and growth at Beacon Cymru, said: “7-13 The Kingsway is one of only a few period buildings that remain in the city centre. We are delighted to be ensuring its survival for future generations through sensitive redevelopment, with support of Welsh Government and Swansea Council.”