Development Highlights

Plans for Swansea rail station revamp are unveiled
Plans to upgrade Swansea railway station are going on show for the first time as part of a £150m programme backed by the Department of Transport to improve stations in Wales and England. A larger concourse, a new booking office with extra ticket machines, toilets, shops and CCTV cameras are among the improvements.

Swansea quadrant Bus Station is shaping up
Shoppers will soon have their first glimpse of what the city's new £10 million Quadrant bus station will look like. With the main foundation work completed, contractors can now begin to put up the steel frame for the main concourse. Swansea Council says its target is to have its state-of-the-art replacement up and running before the start of the busy Christmas trading period. http://www.swanseacitycentre.com/busstation

Curtain set to rise on £14m cultural centre in Llanelli
Work is set to start in 2010 on a £14.6m cultural centre for Llanelli. Funding has been secured for the project on derelict land next to Zion Chapel in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. The project, called ‘The Works’, is estimated to create 35 jobs will provide entertainment, arts, culture, employment, training and skills opportunities and play a major role in the regeneration of Llanelli and the wider south west region.

Pontarddulais earmarked for Halal Industrial Park
The site of the former Graig Merthyr colliery, which closed in 1978, has been earmarked as a possible location for a Super Halal Industrial Park. Bosses from Halal Industries, which is behind the project, met the landowners of the 35-acre site to discuss proposals for the park, which could create up to 3,000 jobs.

Cardiff Airport launches enhancement plan
Cardiff Airport has submitted plans to develop and improve its terminal building to the Vale of Glamorgan Council and, if approved, work is likely to start in late 2010.

Jobs bonanza as city gets set for £24m upgrade
Multi-million pound plans to create an urban village in the city have taken a major step forward. Coastal Housing has submitted detailed plans for its £24 million redevelopment of land bordered by High Street, The Strand and Kings Lane.

Neath East declared a renewal area
Plans to breathe a new lease of life into Neath East are under way after the community was officially declared as a Renewal Area. Neath Port Talbot Council has secured renewal area status for the community, which will enable the authority to attract millions of pounds of investment to rejuvenate the area during the next ten years.

Swansea University plans for £500m science base
Ambitious plans by Swansea University to develop a £500m science base are due to be unveiled this month. Swansea University Vice Chancellor Professor Richard B Davies said the expanded campus would act as a commercialisation hub for the region and could create 11,000 much-needed jobs, accommodation for around 4,000 students and generate £3bn into South-West Wales.

Ship recyclers want to set up at Swansea docks
A ship dismantling and recycling company has inquired about setting up at Swansea's dry docks and has been talking to Associated British Ports (ABP) as well as Swansea Council and Environment Agency Wales.

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea

Multi-million pound boost for Glynn Vivian Art Gallery
The Welsh Assembly Government has allocated £3.5m towards the refurbishment of Swansea's Glynn Vivian Art Gallery under its Strategic Capital Investment Fund. The Arts Council of Wales has pledged £2m and Swansea Council will contribute £500,000.

New Asian restaurant to open in Patti Pavilion
A new restaurant, serving Indian and Asian food, is coming to Swansea's Patti Pavilion, and is expected to open by May. The new tenant has taken on the whole building following its £1.7 million transformation.

New £44 million High-Performance Computing Institute in Wales
Businesses across Wales are to benefit from access to the latest computing technology, expert advice and training, through a new £44m High-Performance Computing Institute.

£600million Swansea to London electric rail link revealed
A multi-million pound upgrade of the Great Western rail line between London and South Wales was announced in July by Gordon Brown during a Cabinet away-day to Cardiff.

SA1 continues to see a great deal of activity as it progresses steadily towards the transformation envisaged for the whole site. Projects underway and completed include…

SA1 Waterfront, Ethos, Technium II & Admiral Building

SA1 £7million project reaches major milestone
Construction crews have made watertight a five-storey building on Langdon Road which will house a 132-bedroom Premier Inn hotel, a 4,500sqft Tesco Express store and a Beefeater restaurant. The development is expected to create around 90 new jobs, with Tesco being the first to open its doors in October. Meanwhile, Whitbread is looking to open the Premier Inn and Beefeater restaurant in early 2011.

SA1 art plans to boost waterfront development
A new SA1 Swansea Waterfront Public Art Strategy has been approved by Swansea Council's cabinet, with around £1.11 million worth of funding provided by developers.

£10M eco homes for Swansea to start construction
Construction on a £10million eco-homes development by Coastal Housing on land acquired from the Welsh Assembly Government is set to begin in Swansea, creating 69 affordable apartments overlooking the Prince of Wales Dock on SA1 Swansea Waterfront.

Cool concept brings art to ice house
A historic building has been revamped into an art gallery and wine bar in Swansea. The Ice House in SA1 is one of only two remaining dockside ice factories in the country. It was bought by the Coastal Galleries group and officially reopened by artist Fabian Perez.

Further information on these developments can be found at www.sa1swanseawaterfront.com