In Swansea in recent years there has been a lack of high-quality office accommodation to meet the needs of existing businesses and help encourage new investment to the city.
This has impacted on the opportunity to create new jobs for local people and has meant some of our businesses have had to consider relocating elsewhere as they look to grow and flourish.
It’s a challenge the council and our partners have met head-on, so I was encouraged to attend the official opening of the Innovation Matrix at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s SA1 campus earlier this week.
Designed to drive digital innovation, entrepreneurship and industry collaboration, this new development has already attracted nine businesses to its high-quality working spaces to create a dynamic cluster with direct links to university expertise and research.
Part-funded by the Swansea Bay City Deal, the Innovation Matrix will support local businesses and enable the development of local skills and talent.
The project will also complement other office schemes in the city which are either close to completion or planned. These include our development at 71/72 The Kingsway and the Princess Quarter scheme being led by Kartay Investments.
They’re examples of a regeneration programme worth over £1bn that’s unfolding in Swansea to support existing businesses, create more jobs for local people and attract even more investment to further boost our local economy.
The coming months will see work starting at a number of other sites, too. These include our plans to revamp Castle Square into a greener and more welcoming space, as well as a Beacon Cymru project to transform the former Castle Cinema building into flats and commercial units.
We’re supporting that project with funding via the Welsh Government but it’s just one example of the support we’re providing to many businesses throughout Swansea.
As part of our business support anchor project through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, 220 grants have already been awarded to local businesses and many more will soon follow suit thanks to a new round of funding that’s recently been agreed. Representatives of many local businesses were at an event in 71/72 The Kingsway earlier week to find out more, so my thanks to Paul Relf, Clare James, Matt Callaghan, Stephen Williams and all officers involved.
As well as transforming our economy and infrastructure, one of the council’s key objectives is reducing our carbon footprint and helping to tackle climate change.
Along with schemes like the Mumbles coastal protection project that the council is leading on, plans continue to progress for a major renewable energy scheme on land close to Swansea Port. Led by a company called DST Innovations, the project includes proposals for a tidal lagoon, a high-tech battery manufacturing plant, a hyper-scale data centre and a renewable energy transport hub.
In the wake of the Severn Estuary Commission recently endorsing tidal lagoons as a source of renewable energy, the Leader and I are meeting with the company early next week to discuss project progress and we anticipate positive announcements in due course.
Preparing for eventualities of the future is a key part of the council’s forward planning processes, so I’d like to thank Ben Cromie and all other officers involved for their work at an emergency exercise held in the Swansea.com stadium on Wednesday. The exercise enabled emergency responders like the police, fire and rescue, and ambulance services to test their preparedness for an emergency and work effectively together to keep the public safe.
I’d also like to thank Huw Evans, Gareth Borsden, Alison O’Hara and team for their work in organising a by-election in Penllergaer yesterday. It’s important that residents exercise their democratic right to vote, so I’ll be working closely with the comms team in the coming months to help raise awareness of why people should head for their local polling stations during times of elections.
My best wishes for a happy retirement to six members of the housing and public protection team. Maria Thomas, Dave Thomas, Nicky Phillips, Darren Harrison, Mark Arnold and Danny Richards have clocked up a combined 230 years at the council between them. They leave with the best wishes of their colleagues and my thanks for all their tireless work over the years.
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