UK Government gives Swansea Council £20m to transform Civic Centre

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

A £20m investment to transform Swansea’s Civic Centre has been announced by the UK Government.

Swansea council said the funding would support plans to rejuvenate the building once it had gone through the necessary checks and clearances.

The council owns the seafront site and is working with development partner Urban Splash to breathe new life into it.

Proposals include 15 commercial units across the ground and lower-ground floors, cafés, bars, shops, workspaces, spaces for leisure and events, and around 140 residential apartments on the upper floors.

What the council called a “next-generation” aquarium also forms part of the plans. It would combine digital technology, enabling content to be refreshed, with real aquatic displays.

The council said its operators were expected to work with Swansea University’s marine biology department showcasing research and raising awareness of global ocean challenges.

A new saltwater lido on the seafront is also proposed.

The council’s cabinet has recently given the green light for further work to develop the proposals ahead of a planning application being submitted.

The project will need to go through further checks including a final business case before funding is confirmed.

The Civic Centre has gradually been decanted of the council staff who worked there although there are still some people inside.

‘Vote of confidence’

Labour council leader Rob Stewart described the £20m as a “further vote of confidence in Swansea”.

He said: “The Civic Centre sits on one of the most spectacular waterfront sites in the UK although the building is now largely vacant following the successful move of services into the city centre into Y Storfa.

“We want to see it transformed into a high-quality landmark destination for living, working, and enjoying that features an aquarium, a saltwater lido, new homes, independent businesses, and leisure and community spaces that will benefit local people while attracting more visitors to Swansea.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves, said: “Backing Swansea with this £20m investment will create jobs, transform the city’s tourist offering, and boost its local econom, making it a more attractive place to live, work, and start a business in the years to come.”

Jo Stevens, secretary of state for Wales, said: “This investment will make Swansea even more of a destination for visitors as well as providing better leisure facilities and places to live and work for residents.”

Swansea West MP Torsten Bell said: “Securing this major investment in an iconic Swansea landmark has been a personal priority for me With £20m funding from the UK Government this is another big step forward for the city.

“With its prime spot overlooking the splendid curve of our beach the building is crying out for a new lease of life. And that is exactly what we are going to give it as we keep investing in Swansea’s future, not just remembering its past.”

‘Shared vision’

Urban Splash development director David Warburton said: “This is fantastic news for our shared vision for Swansea and a major step forward in turning our joint plans for the re-purposing of the Civic Centre into a reality.”

The council said the Civic Centre plans were projected to create 291 jobs in hospitality, retail, leisure, culture and building management along with 50 additional jobs linked specifically to the aquarium.

Mr Bell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the funding would ensure the plans became reality and that he had been campaigning for it for months. “This is the money that unlocks the project,” he said.

“People say to me: ‘We can’t make it happen’,” he said. “We can make it happen. I think we need to believe in ourselves a bit more.”

The public has been giving feedback on the Civic Centre proposals. New apartment blocks either side of the building are proposed as part of a further development phase.

Some public sector funding was expected to be sought to get the project going. Urban Splash and the council are also working on proposals for six other large sites around the city.

Cllr Stewart explained more of the council’s aquarium thinking at a scrutiny meeting last week when asked about it by Conservative councillor Will Thomas.

Cllr Stewart said it was never going to be a fully live or fully digital aquarium but rather an attraction with several elements.

Brisbane

He said the council had initially looked at a digital science attraction in Brisbane, Australia, called The Cube. He said having a digital element would allow content to be refreshed, for example by offering marine and then palaeontology and then dinosaur exhibitions, alongside live exhibits. “It was always to offer several things,” he said.

Cllr Chris Holley, a former Liberal Democrat leader of the council, said he could recall prospective live aquarium operators being turned away by the authority in the past because of financial viability concerns.

“It’s like having a 50m swimming pool with different fish in it which we have to look after all the time and believe you me it’s incredibly expensive,” he said of traditional aquariums.

Cllr Holley has welcomed the new funding announcement although he noted “there is an election in May”. He said: “It’s nice to see £20m from the UK Government being invested in the city to do up the Civic Centre.”