Guided tour chance for Kingsway development site for kids interested in construction

Bouygues UK – Swansea Council’s main contractor for the 71/72 Kingsway scheme – is arranging the tour as part of Build UK’s Open Doors 2023 initiative.

It’s taking place from 9.30am to 11am on Saturday March 18, and is aimed at parents and guardians who’d like to bring children over the age of eight along to experience a live construction site behind the scenes.

Parents and guardians of children aged eight and over are asked to head online to book a space. All children under 16 need will need to be accompanied by an adult.

Developed by Swansea Council, a new flexible office development to provide space for 600 workers is being constructed at the 71/72 Kingsway site, which was once home to nightclubs including the Top Rank, Rizty’s, Time and Envy, and, most recently, Oceana.

Building work on the development is due for completion in early 2024.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism, said: “The scheme at 71/72 Kingsway is among several in Swansea where construction is on-going as our city’s transformation continues for the benefit of local people and local businesses.

“It’s an industry that’s employing many thousands of people throughout our city and beyond, so the guided tours are an excellent opportunity for our young people to find out more about construction and consider careers in the sector in future.

“As well as construction itself, there will also be a chance for anyone who attends the tour to learn a little more about engineering, design and technology.

“The tour will give a fascinating insight into everything that goes on behind the scenes on a major development of this kind.”

John Boughton, Managing Director for Bouygues UK in Wales, said: “A career in construction is a lot more than just working on site, although for many of us it’s the part we enjoy the most, and hosting events like Open Doors is so pivotal to encourage the next generation to consider it as a career.

“Inviting young people on site to see the work we are doing is a great way of showing the diversity of roles available in the sector and how by working in construction you are literally building the cities and towns of the future. We look forward to opening our doors at Kingsway and hopefully inspiring the quantity surveyors, architects and site managers of the future.”

Once complete, the 71/72 Kingsway scheme will be carbon zero in operation and worth £32.6m a year to Swansea’s economy. Construction of the five-storey scheme has now reached street level.

The project is part-funded by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal and supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

Aimed at keeping young business talent in Swansea and creating more city centre footfall, the scheme will also include greenery throughout the building, balconies overlooking the city centre and Swansea Bay, and a new pedestrian link between The Kingsway and Oxford Street.

(Lead image: Swansea Council)