UPLANDS: £40,000 leaf move should have paid for Victoria Park toilets, says councillor

A Swansea councillor has challenged the £40,000 he says is being spent moving the Leaf Boat sculpture to Cwmdonkin Park, arguing the money was badly needed for toilet facilities at Victoria Park.

Cllr Peter May, who represents Uplands on Swansea Council and leads the Uplands Party, raised the cost at a scrutiny committee in April, asking whether the money would be better spent on the park’s facilities.

The glass and steel sculpture was lifted out of Castle Square in January and is heading for the pond at Cwmdonkin Park, with the move planned within weeks.

“I welcome the reuse of the leaf and its fitting location to Cwmdonkin Park especially with the links to Dylan Thomas,” Cllr May said.

“I have however challenged the £40,000 cost of the project to do this.”

He said: “This was done at a Scrutiny Committee in April when asking if money could be better spent in providing toilet facilities in Victoria Park.”

He added: “This need is now acute with recent investment in the Basketball and Tennis Courts together with the recent opening of the skatepark which was match funded by the Uplands Councillors community budget.”

Victoria Park’s new street-plaza skate park opened this summer as part of the council’s £3m wheeled sports drive. Riders quickly hailed it as “the jewel in the crown” of the city’s skate scene.

The park’s courts have had investment too. Its basketball facilities were extended in 2022, and its tennis courts were part of a renovation programme run by the council and the Lawn Tennis Association.

The council announced the sculpture’s new home this week, saying it would sit in an existing pond area close to Park Drive. Its announcement did not put a figure on the cost of the move.

Cllr Elliott King, the council’s cabinet member for culture, said at the time: “We’re delighted that it’ll be in a highly visible location, in an attractive setting for residents and visitors to enjoy.”

The council said it had worked closely with the sculptor, Amber Hiscott, who supports the relocation, with her work to be recognised on site through new interpretation.

The Leaf Boat had stood in Castle Square since the mid-1990s before being removed in January as the square was cleared for redevelopment.

The new Castle Square Gardens taking shape in its place are due to open in summer 2027.

The sculpture is expected to be in its new berth at the Cwmdonkin Park pond within the coming weeks.