Long-delayed city centre car park set to open next week

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

A long-awaited multi-storey car park delayed by the collapse of its original contractor will finally open next week.

Copr Bay North car park, on the Swansea city centre side of the bridge over Oystermouth Road, has 628 parking spaces.

They include standard bays, accessible bays, electric charging bays and motorcycle spaces. The entrance is on Albert Row at the rear of the Tesco superstore.

Swansea Council, which had to appoint a second firm of contractors after the company building it went into administration in 2023, said it would be part of the authority’s 1-2-3-4-5 parking offer, whereby motorists pay £1 an hour for up to five hours, with a maximum charge of £5 for up to 24 hours from Mondays to Saturdays.

The nearby St David’s multi-storey car park will close on the same day as the Copr Bay one opens.

The council said existing season ticket holders at St David’s car park will be relocated to Copr Bay from the opening date. Permit holders at the nearby LC leisure centre who use another nearby car park – located by Swansea Building Society Arena – will move to the new one on Monday August 3. All permit holders, it said, will be contacted with further information.

St David’s car park has 375 spaces and will be demolished to pave the way for an extensive regeneration of the site, which is to be called Porth Copr. If all goes to plan Porth Copr will feature new blocks for residents, retailers, office workers and education use.

Cllr Andrew Stevens, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, said: “We know that residents, visitors and businesses want more city centre parking, and they want it to be affordable.

“That’s why we’ve invested in this new facility, creating even more parking spaces than were previously available while ensuring prices remain highly competitive compared with other towns and cities across the UK.”

He added: “This means we’ll be continuing with some of the cheapest city centre car parking in the country.”

Five retail units beneath the new Copr Bay North car park are being marketed to prospective shop, restaurant and café operators.

Cllr Rob Stewart, leader of Swansea Council, said: “Our ambition is to create a vibrant link between the city centre, the bridge and Swansea Arena, and the completion of this car park is another important step towards achieving that vision.

“These plans will bring significantly more people into the area, helping to create the footfall needed to attract new shops and other businesses.”