Tree felling on Kilvey Hill will continue “over the coming weeks and months” as construction of the Skyline gondola line moves forward.
The developer behind the attraction says the work is focused on the gondola corridor — the route the cable cars will follow up the hill above St Thomas — and is “an important step” in delivering the line.
In a statement, Skyline Swansea said it knew Kilvey Hill “is an important place for many people”, adding that the works were being carried out within the approved corridor construction zone and under the supervision of certified ecologists.
Public access to the hill is being maintained throughout the works.
A safety exclusion zone is in place around active work areas, and a banksman will manage safe passage where a pathway crosses an active work site.
The company said all vegetation removed would be mulched to support renewable energy generation, and replaced with native broadleaf species, native shrubs and grassland seeding as part of the project’s biodiversity commitments.
Swapping conifers for native woodland is not a Skyline invention: Natural Resources Wales set out a 25-year plan back in 2023 to replace much of the hill’s originally planted pine and larch — which had succumbed to disease — with native broadleaf varieties.
The trees themselves are younger than they look. Kilvey Hill was left a barren “moonscape” by Swansea’s industrial past, and only re-greened around 60 years ago when hundreds of thousands of trees were planted on its slopes.
The felling marks the most visible phase yet of the £49m cable car and luge attraction, which formally began construction in May after years in the making.
At the other end of the route, groundworks are also under way at Landore, where the gondola’s valley-floor base station is taking shape beside the park and ride.
Work began on the hill itself in late June, with walkers facing footpath diversions as the first earthworks got under way near the summit.
The scheme has divided opinion, but it carries substantial backing: Swansea Council’s planning committee approved it last year, the council has committed funding to bring it forward, and when Skyline consulted on the plans it said community support had been “very strong”.
Opponents have been vocal — demonstrations on the hill drew police warnings in the spring, and concerns were taken to the Senedd last week, where the Welsh Government’s top law officer said public opposition alone carried no legal weight against a granted consent.
Costs have also been under scrutiny: Swansea Council has declined to put a figure on its worst-case losses if the project fails, as its committed costs rose to £10.2m.
The hill’s best-loved resident has weathered the changes: volunteers returned the moss-covered Green Man sculpture to the woods last month, challenging walkers to find his new home among the trees.
Skyline says the current phase of felling will run through the summer, with updates published on the project’s website at skylineswansea.co.uk.
For those using the hill in the meantime, paths remain open — but expect diversions and marshalled crossings where the corridor works are active.
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