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Swansea making progress on ambitions that count

Significant progress is being made on ambitious plans for a greener, more prosperous and vibrant 21st century Swansea, a meeting of Swansea council has heard.

arena from the air

Building on success stories like the new £135m Swansea arena, £150m investment in new schools and £6.5m for play areas in every community and the £750m new deal for the city centre, the city transformation is due to accelerate in the coming years.

And after a wonderful Swansea summer packed with major international sports, music and cultural events, the council is taking strides to support residents whose lives are touched by council services every day.

Rob Stewart, Leader of the Council, said progress on projects like the transformation of Castle Square Gardens, the rejuvenation of Mumbles seafront and the sweep of Swansea Bay and the delivery of new, exciting visitor attractions has already been made.

And he pledged that none of the city's communities would be left behind thanks to tens of millions of pounds of investment in road improvements, extra street cleaning services and better community facilities alongside support for struggling families and the more help for the homeless.

He said: "Swansea was always city of ambition but now it's also a city of delivery - based on on our people's priorities."

A report to council highlights actions taken in the last 100 days in support of the authority's policy commitments. They include:

  • Delivering a £750m city centre transformation that started with the arena and has seen progress on projects ranging from a planning application agreed for Castle Square, continuing discussions on a new role for the Debenhams site and work starting on the city centre library hub at the former BHS store.
  • The announcement of an international consortium to deliver a hydrogen fuel hub as part of the Blue Eden project.
  • Progress on the Kilvey Hill Skyline attraction.
  • Continuing progress on the new innovation hub at 71/72 Kingsway and the demolition of Ty Dewi Sant as part of the Urban Splash-led regeneration of the city centre
  • Completion of the 20-year £500m investment in better quality council housing with work starting soon on phase two.
  • Progress on plans for new CCTV and free community wifi connections in local communities

Swansea's local communities have also benefited from:

  • Support for eligible households to claim a range of extra Welsh Government cost of living support payments
  • Support for more than 120 community projects
  • New play areas in every community, through the innovative Economic Regeneration Fund.
  • Extra road repairs with the start of a six month PATCH road repair programme across all wards in the city.
  • New local Neighbourhood cleansing teams carrying out deep cleans, litter picking and tackling fly-tipping.
  • The rollout of more electric vehicle charging points in communities across Swansea
  • A start on a next phase of walking and cycling routes around the city.
  • A new generation of lighting for Swansea bay prom
  • Commitment to the introduction of new litter bins across Swansea
  • Significant progress on upgrading bus shelters across Swansea

Cllr Stewart said that the policy commitments cover a five-year period to 2027 and the focus on achieving progress in the first 100 days was designed to create momentum to deliver on those projects that matter most.

He said: "Since the start of the 100 days initiative, we've seen the cost of living crisis deepen and our hard-pressed communities turning to us for support.

"It's why we are continuing to support them with the free bus travel initiative over Christmas and the upgrades for outdoor play areas which helping families make ends meet at a time when every penny counts.

"Working with local groups and organisations, we are also pushing ahead with the Swansea Spaces initiative that will aim to provide a warm welcome this winter. 

He said: "The cost of living crisis and climate change will be among the biggest challenges any of us will face over the coming years.

"From food banks to free bus travel, from better homes to better schools, we'll carry on supporting families and communities who are struggling to get by.

"We'll continue investing in major projects and community priorities like schools, children's welfare and adult wellbeing. This combined investment enables resilience and promotes wellbeing. It creates and protects jobs and it makes Swansea a better place to live, work and do business.

"And by investing in green energy, growing our green spaces and welcoming new people, new investment and fresh ideas, we can look forward to building a better future."