DETAILS of the latest in a series of schemes to get more people living in the centre of Swansea have been revealed.
Ten one and two-bed flats flats are planned along the top floor of the Princess Way commercial building which partly overlooks Castle Square. The top floor is recessed and all of the flats would have patio space.
“No extensions or alterations to the building’s height, footprint, or principal elevations are proposed,” said a design and access statement submitted to Swansea Council as part of the application by St Mary’s Square Developments.
It added that there’d be groundfloor cycle and refuse storage space. Noise impact, bat survey and green infrastructure reports have also been submitted.
Contractors are currently working on the building’s groundfloor in the unit formerly occupied by fashion company Zara in preparation for a new occupier.
A scheme to convert the upper floors of a nearby commercial building which is home to McDonald’s and Taco Bell into 29 one and two-bedroom flats was approved by the council’s planning committee last month, while 30 flats and new commercial units are taking shape at the old Castle Cinema building opposite.
And new flats have or are being created in the upper floors of buildings on nearby Oxford Street and in a large new mixed-use development rising to 12 storeys where the old Woolworths store used to be.
Other cities have taken this approach to revive unused upper floor commercial and office space in a bid to boost not only the housing supply but also town and city centre footfall.
Leaders in Swansea have long said the city centre needs more people living in it, decades after a flight to the suburbs following Second World War bomb damage. Some new office space is also being created.
The loss of Debenhams and impending loss of Marks & Spencer’s Oxford Street store later this year have been blows.
Andrew Douglas, manager of business group Swansea BID, said bringing more people back to live in the city centre would help it become more vibrant and sustainable.
He said: “The more people living in the city centre, the more they will engage with and enjoy Swansea’s retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors.”
He also said it strengthened a city’s investment appeal. “A growing residential population signals confidence in the city centre as a place to live, work, and spend time,” he said.
