Once the home of Oceana, and a number of nightclubs before that, including Top Rank, Ritzy's, and Time and Envy, a new building will soon begin taking shape in The Kingsway.
Swansea Council has been working on a major new office space in the city centre which it hopes will provide space for 600 jobs in sectors such as tech, digital and the creative industries. Initial building work on site has focused on two basement floors at the 71/72 Kingsway scheme, with giant yellow cranes towering over the site.
But these have now been completed meaning work on the three above ground storeys at street level and above can begin, and passers-by will start to see the new structure take shape. Swansea Council has said the scheme will bring £32.6m a year to the city's economy and be carbon zero in its operation.
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Council leader, Cllr Rob Stewart, said the development would meet the demand for flexible, modern office space in Swansea and help prevent local tech and digital business from relocating to other cities. There will be 114,000 square feet of commercial floor space with the opportunity for co-working and networking at the offices. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, council cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “The scheme follows on from a major transformation of The Kingsway to create a more business-friendly environment as Swansea’s £1bn regeneration programme continues. Other features of the new development will include a green roof terrace and south-facing balconies overlooking the city centre and Swansea Bay."
The 71/72 Kingsway development is being part-funded by the £1.3 billion Swansea Bay City Deal and supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. Bouygues UK is the main contractor for the project.
Construction is also ongoing on the 'living building' project in the former Woolworths unit in the city centre. The project is one of the first UK schemes of its kind and will include green walls and green roofs, an educational facility, retail, offices, a landscaped courtyard, rooftop solar panels, battery storage and gardens. Pobl Group will manage 50 affordable apartments forming part of the scheme.
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