The £11.4m two-year initiative — supported by the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns scheme and private investment — is helping revitalise commercial spaces and create new homes across the city. More than £7m in funding has come from government support, with £4.3m invested by the private sector.
At Exist Skatepark, refurbishment plans will upgrade the venue’s exterior. Kate Leonard, who runs the skatepark, said: “The external refurbishment of our beloved skatepark will be a huge boost, not just to our skate community but to our neighbourhood and the city centre.”
On Oxford Street, a corner unit at the junction with Portland Street has become home to a newly opened Principality Building Society branch following refurbishment work. Meanwhile, along High Street, new businesses have moved into upgraded premises, including SA1 Grocery, Turkish Kitchen, and Imperial Desserts, alongside a refurbished ground-floor unit next door.
(Image: Swansea Council)
(Image: Swansea Council)
A host of other spaces have also been brought back into use across the city, including new commercial units created through conversions and refurbishments at Dillwyn Street, Whitewalls, Kingsway, and Park Street — as well as former pubs like the White Swan and Kings Arms. Community hubs, charity workspaces, and retail openings all form part of the mixed-use approach championed by the council.
Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council cabinet member for investment, said: “As Swansea’s £1bn regeneration continues at pace, it’s great to see us helping deliver new business opportunities. This is bringing more life to key retail areas, attracting new entrepreneurs and residents.”
The programme also supports regeneration in Morriston and Pontarddulais, with newly refurbished commercial and community spaces, including the Swansea Canal Centre, Morriston Tabernacle, and a new pharmacy with treatment rooms on Teilo Street.
Jayne Bryant, Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, said: “I’m pleased to see more than £7m of funding from our Welsh Government Transforming Towns programme being used to create exciting new business opportunities across Swansea city centre. This brings the total contributed to regeneration projects in the city to £91m since 2020.”
“The mixed-use approach, with commercial activity at street level and residential spaces above, is just the model needed to ensure our city centres remain economically resilient places where people want to live, work and visit.”
