The final elements of Swansea's long-running Copr Bay regeneration project should be completed this year, the council has said. While the arena, adjacent coastal park and eye-catching pedestrian bridge across Oystermouth Road have been the priority, and have been open for a while, construction activity has continued on the large building on the other side.
It has 33 flats, which have now been handed over to housing association Pobl Group, plus commercial units and a multi-storey car park, which is screened by white sheeting. Work on the £135 million council-led Copr Bay scheme began in 2019. A council spokesman said Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd - the authority's main Copr Bay contractor - anticipated completion of the new car park and commercial units by the end of this year.
Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, the council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: "The completion of large parts of Copr Bay during the pandemic was a remarkable achievement, with many thousands of local people and visitors now enjoying facilities like Swansea Arena and the coastal park every week." You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Four of the units on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park have tenants: Coaltown Coffee, Frozziyo Frozen Yoghurt, Imperial Candy and KoKoDoo Korean Fried Chicken. The council said advanced discussions were underway for the two remaining units. Cllr Robert Francis-Davies added: "Once this overall scheme is complete, it will attract more people into the city centre, helping support existing business there while also opening up more jobs."
There have been snagging issues at Copr Bay, such as securing water connections to the flats, getting hold of components for a glass lift, and cladding on a cafe unit adjacent to a new St David's Priory Church hall. These three issues have since been sorted out. Speaking at a council scrutiny meeting this month, Huw Mowbray, the council’s property development manager, said it was in Buckingham Group's interest to get all outstanding issues resolved as it was costing the company to still be on site. You can read more stories about Swansea here.
The council has appointed a development partner called Urban Splash to take forward plans for a second large-scale regeneration project on land beside the new multi-storey car park. Proposed developments on this land - leading up towards St Mary's Church - include a large public sector hub, retail and leisure units, and housing.
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