Masonry block falls from arch near Swansea Arena

Richard Youle – Local Democracy Reporter

A large chunk of masonry from an arch beneath a listed former Great Western Railway bridge has broken off and landed on a public walkway.

It’s not clear when and how it happened, but the arch between Swansea Arena and the LC has been cordoned off to the public.

Serious

Ward councillor Sam Bennett said he was concerned. “That falling on somebody would be extremely serious,” he said.

The arch in question is the middle of three under the former Great Western Railway revetment wall, which is listed but has undergone repairs over the years.

Contractors made some minor changes to the wall in the early phases of the Swansea Council-led Copr Bay development – the centrepiece of which is the new arena – and removed an earth embankment which used to prop the wall up.

Alterations

A council planning report in 2018, when the Copr Bay development was approved, said the central arch used to be part of a larger tunnel, which was later developed as a walkway – possibly in the 1980s.

Further alterations were carried out as part of the Copr Bay scheme to create the three arches visible today, blending cement with pre-existing masonry.

Asked what action it had taken since the masonry collapsed, a council spokesman said: “The concrete that fell was part of a 1970s structure and not part of the recently constructed archways.

“The area was fenced off and made safe as soon as we were made aware. We’re now arranging for the debris to be removed and for work to take place so that the archway will reopen as soon as possible.”