Swansea Council has an ambitious vision for a city that is a vibrant, 24-hour, living, working and leisure destination.
The city and surrounding areas, like everywhere across the UK, have been impacted by the events of the past 18 months but the council remains more committed than ever to delivering its regeneration agenda.
Even with the backdrop of a global pandemic, the council and its partners have been hard at work bringing this vision to life. Several schemes are under way, including phase one of the £135m Copr Bay project in the city centre. When complete, it will be home to a 3,500-capacity arena, with space for leisure and hospitality businesses, a coastal park, new homes and parking.
Work has been completed on The Kingsway too – a £12m investment to create a green, pedestrian and business-friendly public realm.
The council is also proud to announce the selection of Urban Splash as its preferred development partner to become part of the city’s £1bn regeneration story and deliver strategic council-owned development sites in and around the city centre.
A strong emphasis on lifestyle, environmental consciousness, strong placemaking and digital connectivity make Swansea more attractive than ever, proven by the continued levels of investment coming into the city across all sectors.
A combination of these major new developments and the continued regeneration of the city centre means Swansea is poised to bounce back stronger than ever.
Speakers
Robert Francis-Davies, cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, Swansea Council
Francis-Davies has been a councillor since 1983 and served as lord mayor of Swansea in 2000 to 2001.
He has worked on the delivery of the Liberty Stadium, the National Waterfront Museum and the Wales National Pool in Swansea.
He is also the founder of The Harry Secombe Trust, an organisation for youth musical theatre.
Russell Greenslade, chief executive, Swansea Business Improvement District
Greenlade’s role includes managing the nomination and selection of board members, and managing collection of the 1% levy which generates the BID’s multi-million pound income. Earlier this year, he led Swansea BID to its fourth ballot success.
Russell also plays a key role in stakeholder engagement and change management associated with schemes such as Best Bar None, Purple Flag, Transforming Towns and those associated with environmental aims.
He also acts as an adviser to government on BIDs, to identify and communicate best practice.
Lisa Hartley, manager, Quadrant Shopping Centre
Hartley is a chartered surveyor with more than 27 years’ experience in shopping centre management.
She has played a pivotal role in the management and development of more than 50 shopping centres from London to Scotland, ranging from 70,000 sq ft to 1.3m sq ft.
She joined the Quadrant as manager in 2016, and has led the centre through a rebrand, store openings and closures and centre events.
Andrea Lewis, cabinet member for climate change & service, Swansea Council
Lewis leads on the creation of energy-efficient social housing and drives the council’s green agenda across its transportation fleet.
She is passionate about tackling homelessness in Swansea and has focused her efforts on implementing the housing-first principles. A major step forward in tackling these issues has been the launch of the council’s homelessness strategy.
Carwyn Davies, managing director, Hacer Developments
Davies has more than 20 years’ experience of project management, delivering high-quality commercial, residential and regeneration projects.
With its headquarters in Swansea, Hacer Developments provides innovative, transformative solutions to development challenges, taking the risk out of commercial residential and regeneration schemes for private and public sector clients by investing its own funds, and also using its particular expertise and experience in sourcing funding from property development grants.
Working alongside local authorities, architects, engineers, solicitors, and top industry consultants, Hacer negotiates and solves complex and challenging legal, planning and on-site ground issues to bring a project seamlessly to completion on schedule.
Rob Stewart, leader, Swansea Council
Stewart is also deputy leader of the WLGA and WLGA spokesperson for economic development, Europe (Brexit) and energy. He led the team to secure the Swansea Bay City Deal and is bhair of the Swansea Bay City Region’s joint committee to deliver the City Deal.
He has significant experience working in national and regional government, primarily as a programme and project manager for the DVLA, where he led the delivery of the online driver licence service and the redesign of the new UK ID documents, including the UK driving licence and national identity card for foreign nationals.
David Warburton, land director, Urban Splash
Warburton is a chartered surveyor with more than 30 years’ experience in land development, placemaking and regeneration. He started his career with Lovell Partnership Homes, focusing on complex housing and regeneration schemes in the English Midlands, before working across the UK as director of development and regeneration for The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund. He subsequently held senior roles at English Partnerships, The Homes & Communities Agency and Homes England.
Warburton joined Urban Splash having completed a two-year secondment to the West Midlands Combined Authority as head of land & development, where he led on the delivery of the £250m housing deal, and created the combined authority’s Single Commissioning Framework covering its £360m investment in land, housing and commercial property.
He is responsible for scoping new opportunities and growing Urban Splash’s investment in and helping to deliver new and revitalised communities throughout the UK.
Warburton volunteers as a mentor to young leaders in real estate and as an RICS assessor, supporting and helping to develop the careers of future property professionals. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute in the UK and sits on its Midlands Executive Committee.
The Future of Swansea
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