First announced in 2017 by the former First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and former Prime Minister Theresa May, the complete Swansea Bay City Deal has now been signed off by the UK and Welsh governments.
All nine projects in the £1.3bn deal were approved by the two governments in December 2021, who have both committed a total of £241m to fund the City Deal.
The four local authorities that make up the region, in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, will also use their borrowing powers to support the projects.
Of the total £1.3bn funding, £235.7m is from the City Deal, £380.67 is from the public sector and £625.04 from the private sector.
The City Deal is expected to give a regional economic boost of at least £1.8bn as well as create over 9,000 jobs.
Following the approval, the projects can now move to the delivery phase.
But what are the nine projects in the Swansea Bay City Deal? When will they be completed and what economic impact will they have on these areas?
BusinessLive Wales decided to put together a comprehensive round-up of all the projects with an update on what stage each project was at.
Project one: Skills and Talent
Funding: £30m investment - £10m from City Deal, £16m from public sector, £4m from private sector
How many jobs will it create? 3,000 new apprenticeships
When will it be completed? Starting from Q2 of 2022 and completing in 2026
One of the three regional programmes in the City Deal, the programme is aimed at boosting skill levels across the Swansea Bay City Region, aligned to the needs of employers in digital, construction, energy, health and smart manufacturing sectors. The programme aims to deliver 2,200 additional skills and and development opportunities by helping around 14,000 people upskill. In partnership with training providers across the region including local authorities, schools, colleges, universities and businesses, the Regional Learning and Skills Partnership will lead the programme to identify skill gaps. It is projected to create 20 new course frameworks and develop two new centres of excellence within sectors, including for digital, energy and wellbeing.
Project two: Digital Infrastructure
Funding: £55.3m investment - £25m from City Deal, £13.8m from public sector, £16.5m from private sector
When will it be completed? Starting from Q2 of 2022 and completing in 2026
This is the second of the regional programmes and linked to all the City Deal projects. It aims to support the digital economy across the region to encourage private and public sector investment, improve public services and generate well-paid jobs. Working with the UK and Welsh governments and suppliers, its ambition is for every household and business in the bay region to have access to full fibre or mobile broadband offering speeds up to 1gbps. Over time, the programme wants to add over 10 community broadband projects, upgrade 200 public sector sites to full-fibre broadband, invest in 5G and deploy over 250 Internet of Things gateways (IoT). The entire programme is estimated to be worth £318.8m to the regional economy in the next 15 years.
Project three: Canolfan S4C Yr Egin
Funding: £25.17m investment - £5m from City Deal, £18.67m from public sector, £1.5m from private sector
How many jobs will it create? 427 jobs
When will it be completed? Phase one, the 363.4 sqm workspace in Carmarthen, was completed in 2018. Phase two is due to start in Q4 of 2022 and complete in Q2 of 2024.
Yr Egin is a digital and creative hub at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Carmarthen. The building was completed in 2018 during the first phase of the project and is anchored by S4C headquarters, but many companies in the creative sector co-locate there. Boasting an auditorium, state-of-the-art office spaces and post-production facilities, the new hub aims to be a creative cluster community, develop talent and elevate the status of the Welsh language in Carmarthenshire. It is estimated to contribute £89m regional GVA. The second phase will cater for a range of technological services that will be made available for the region.
Project four: Swansea City and Waterfront Digital District
Funding: £175.28m investment - £50m from City Deal, £85.38m from public sector, £39.90m from private sector
How many jobs will it create? 1,281 jobs
When will it be completed? Swansea Arena - completed at the end of 2021 and opened in March this year. 71/72 The Kingsway office - started in 2021 and due to be completed at the end of 2023. Innovation Matrix - due to start in Q3 of this year and finish Q4 of 2023. Innovation Precinct - due to start in Q3 of 2023 and finish by 2025.
Led by Swansea Council, there are three areas to this project. The first is the 3,500-capacity indoor Swansea Arena, located at the new £135m Copr Bay phase one district. It is leased to the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) and accommodates music concerts, touring shows, exhibitions, conferences, tournaments and other events. The second area is the high profile 71/72 The Kingsway 100,000 sq ft office development at the former Oceana nightclub. Already under construction, the development will offer space for 600 jobs with flexible co-working environments and office space for businesses in tech and digital sectors. The third area is an Innovation Matrix and Precinct development at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David SA1 for start-up businesses. All the projects are expected to provide an economic boost of £669.8m.
Project five: Homes as Power Stations
Funding: £505.5m investment - £15m from City Deal, £114.6m from public sector, £375.9m from private sector
How many jobs will it create? 1,804 jobs
When will it be completed? Due to start in Q2 2022 and complete by Q4 of 2026
The third regional programme in the City Deal, HaPS aims to introduce energy efficient and renewable technologies to at least 10,300 properties (7,000 retrofit and 3,300 new build) in the region within five years, reducing more than 19,000 tonnes of C02 a year. The project will be carried out on a small scale by the public sector before being scaled up in other sectors including private sector developers in the Swansea Bay City Region. It is linked to the Welsh Government's Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP) forming part of the Innovative Housing Programme, and wants to leave a legacy of skilled jobs in the region with a £251m contribution to the regional economy.
Project six: Pembroke Dock Marine
Funding: £60.53m investment - £28m from City Deal, £16.41m from public sector (including the European Regional Development Fund through Welsh Government), £16.12m from private sector
How many jobs will it create? 1,881 jobs
When will it be completed? Pembroke Port developments - started work in November 2021 and due to be completed in 2025. Marine Energy Test Area (META) - started in 2019 and due to be finished at the end of this year. Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone (PDZ) started last year and is estimated to be completed in Q3 of 2023. Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence (MEECE) - began in 2019 and set to complete by the end of 2024.
Led by the private sector and supported by Pembrokeshire County Council, the £60m Pembroke Dock Marine initiative will support the commercialisation of renewable projects in tidal, wind and wave. It will add 1,000MW to Wales' decarbonisation targets and deliver infrastructure needed to grow Wales' low carbon economy. The project is split into four parts: Pembroke Port developments; Marine Energy Test Area (META); Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence (MEECE); and the Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone (PDZ). The project is expected to generate £73.5m a year to the regional economy and hopes to unlock further investment aligned to the floating offshore wind opportunity in the Celtic Sea.
Project seven: Life Science, Wellbeing and Sports Campuses
Funding: £130.44m investment - £15m from City Deal, £58.01m from public sector, £57.43m from private sector
How many jobs will it create? 1,120 jobs
When will it be completed? The programme is due to start later this year with plans to complete at the end of 2026
The Campuses project will deliver two initiatives at two sites in Swansea - Swansea University's Singleton Campus and Morriston Hospital - to promote business growth in the medical technology and sports technology sectors in the region. It is estimated to be worth £150m to the regional economy by 2033. Delivered in two phases, phase one will utilise City Deal funding over the next 3 years to develop a 2000m2 dedicated research and innovation space at Sketty Lane Sports Park. Phase one will also refurbish an existing building at Morriston Hospital, turning it into a 700m2 Institute of Life Sciences for commercial and academic work. It will also include planning for new road access to a 55-acre innovation park north of the hospital.
Project eight: Pentre Awel
Funding: £202.48m investment - £40m from City Deal, £52.3m from public sector, £108.19m from private sector
How many jobs will it create? 1,853 jobs over 15 years
When will it be completed? Work on the project is due to start in Q2 of 2022 and complete by Q4 of 2025
Delivered by Carmarthenshire County Council in partnership with Hywel Dda University Health Board, Pentre Awel is the largest regeneration project in South West Wales. The multi-million pound research and wellness village will boost the local economy by £467m and provide new business, education and health facilities, along with a state-of-the-art leisure centre and swimming pool. The project is planned for the same 83-acre site as the former and controversial Life Sciences and Wellness Village Scheme, but has been taken forward with a new business case and funding model. Aside from the council-run leisure centre, the wider project will also feature assisted living accommodation, nursing home, hotel, expansion space for businesses and social and affordable housing. It was recently announced that Peter Sharpe will rejoin Bouygues UK as project director to head up the Pentre Awel project.
Project nine: Supporting Innovation and Low Carbon Growth
Funding: £58.7m investment - £47.70m from City Deal, £5.5m from public sector, £5.5m from private sector
How many jobs will it create? 1,320 jobs
When will it be completed? Bay Technology Centre - started work in Q3 2020 and expected to end in 2022. SWITCH - beginning in Q2 of 2023 and completing by the end of 2025. Decarbonisation projects - started at the end of 2019 and due to complete in Q4 of 2024. Industrial Futures - starting in Q3 of this year with completion expected at the end of 2024.
The £58.7m project aims to create jobs and growth in the Swansea Bay City Region through the development of a decarbonised economy. It is made up of seven inter-linked projects under four areas, including the development of the Bay Technology Centre in Baglan Energy Park. The tech centre provides office space for start-up companies and indigenous businesses but also wants excess energy from solar and other renewables to be converted into hydrogen at the Hydrogen Centre nearby. The other linked projects will aim to decarbonise the steel and metals industry in Port Talbot, provide a route map for the commercialisation of hydrogen, and establish a regional approach to decarbonise journeys in the region. The project is expected to contribute £93m to the regional economy.
