A major new arrival looks set to open at a Swansea retail park, as a well-known and popular adventure experience has signalled its intention to move in.
Ninja Warrior UK - the hit ITV show which has been on our screens since 2015 - has 14 venues across the country to replicate the challenges that contestants work their way through, including one in Cardiff.
But now plans have been unveiled for the brand to create a new base at Parc Tawe Retail Park in Swansea. An application lodged with Swansea Council asks for permission to transform a vacant retail unit to create the new adventure facility.
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If approved, the 20,000 square foot unit would provide supervised activity and fitness facilities suitable for a range of ages and abilities. You'll be able to climb, balance, jump and swing across different obstacles and the famous 'warped wall' will also be there for people to take on and try and conquer.
The facility, which would create 40 new jobs if approved by city planners, would see the ground floor used as an open activity area, whilst the space below a mezzanine first floor would house staff rooms, toilets, a shop, an arcade and a soft play area, along with a cafeteria, kitchen and five private party rooms.
It is not the only adventure experience which is set to move into the retail park. We're soon to see a bouldering and climbing centre arrive at the retail park in the form of Flashpoint Swansea.
Set to open in April, 2022, the bouldering and climbing centre will be situated between Aldi and Denny's. Designed with climbers of all abilities in mind, from new climbers to those looking for training facilities, Flashpoint is a bouldering experience which runs regular taster sessions with a range of instructors who teach a few key techniques. Its website states that the routes are changed all the time which means there is always something fresh to try even for the most dedicated of climbers.
The Ninja Warrior UK plans are the latest step in the resurgence of the retail park, which had been left half empty for years. It got off to a promising start after its revamp began in January, 2017 with big names arriving including Denny's American Diner and a Costa drive-thru, which joined the likes of long-time occupants, Odeon and Plantasia.
It had been redeveloped by former owner Hammerson, which invested £15 million in it, with the aim of making it a "leading, contemporary and attractive retail destination".
But after a flurry of initial activity, things slowed down to such an extent that half of its 20 units remained empty for a number of years. In July 2020, the company sold the retail park to Centurion Tawe, and it was revealed at the time that the new owners were in discussions with some big retail names to fill in the gaps, and their vision seems now to be coming to fruition, with a new Aldi store, Double Zero restaurant and Kutchenhaus Kitchens also among the new arrivals.
