Cymraeg

LDP2 Preferred Strategy

Ended on the 18 April 2025

3.0 Key Issues

Overview

3.1 This chapter identifies a range of opportunities, challenges and unique characteristics that are identified as being of particular significance in the Swansea context. These collectively form the 'Key Issues' underpinning LDP2. These Key Issues drive the strategic direction of the Plan and inform the Vision and Objectives. These are grouped under the overarching themes of economic, environmental, social, and cultural matters.

Economic Issues: A prosperous Swansea of cohesive communities

  1. Future Wales identifies the 'Swansea Bay and Llanelli National Growth Area' as being the main area for development and investment in South-West Wales up to 2040, with the Swansea urban area being strategically placed to accommodate significant growth and deliver on what is a national priority.
  2. Regeneration and transformative development within the City Centre, and its adjoining brownfield waterfront areas, are critical components of ensuring Swansea can be a thriving, 'city of innovation', attracting significant levels of new investment and driving prosperity across the wider region.
  3. Improving the overall vitality and vibrancy of Swansea's established district and local centres, and recognising their evolving role post pandemic, will ensure these function as 'neighbourhood hubs' and provide the range of services and facilities required to meet the day to day needs of the communities they serve.
  4. National forecasts for population, economic and household growth show a predicted reduction in levels of housing and jobs that need to be provided for, but there continues to be positive prospects for job growth related to new investment.
  5. Facilitating development that creates higher value, higher skilled employment opportunities, and that expands Swansea's business base, is important to help increase Gross Disposable Household Income per head and address the on-going productivity gap when compared to the UK average. This will require an appropriate supply of fit for purpose commercial and industrial sites and premises that can attract investors and allow existing businesses to grow.
  6. There is a particular opportunity for highly significant levels of investment, or conversely the potential for dis-investment, to occur over the lifetime of the Plan linked to the substantial port and dock areas along the Swansea Bay and Llanelli developed coast. In particular, investment decisions made by commercial operators in collaboration with the public sector for dock and heavy industry sites in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot has the potential for significant effects in terms of economic growth and job numbers.
  7. Tourism, leisure, culture and the major events sectors play a significant role in the area's economic performance, and there remains significant potential for further sustainable levels of investment in these sectors to grow and widen the 'tourism experience offer', drive up quality, reduce seasonality and increase overall spend.
  8. The rate of delivery of new homes in Swansea, including affordable housing, has been less than was previously forecasted as likely to come forward, which reflects national trends. This has been the result of a range of factors, including: an economic downturn at a macro level; varying financial viability levels across the County; shortages of labour and technical expertise; increases in build costs and complex changes in legislation; all of which are factors that continue to influence prospects for growth and investment.
  9. Proposals for the Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro, and other strategic transport projects to be identified in the South West Wales Regional Transport Plan, could significantly change the connectivity, accessibility and overall sustainability of a number of areas of Swansea.

Environmental Issues: A resilient and globally responsible Swansea

  1. The Council's nature recovery and climate change commitments, including those linked to its emergency declarations and achieving organisational net zero carbon by 2030 (as part of a just transition to societal net zero by 2050), will be key drivers for the Plan.
  2. The County benefits from areas of outstanding natural heritage with diverse landscapes, soil assets and habitats, including the Gower National Landscape – AONB. At least 20% of land within these areas, and much of the surrounding seas, are designated as protected sites by law.
  3. Ecosystem resilience and green infrastructure assets will need to be significantly enhanced in order to achieve the aim of ensuring at least 30 percent of the County is safeguarded, protected and effectively managed for nature by 2030. This will require the minimisation of the loss of assets, as well as enhancements to connectivity throughout key wildlife corridors, in order to reduce the effects of habitat fragmentation that can arise from urban growth.
  4. Ensuring the adequate supply and treatment of water, together with promoting good water quality, along with sustainable planning of the coastal and marine environments, are key environmental and developmental considerations in planning for future growth.
  5. Parts of the County are at risk of flooding from a range of sources, and therefore a precautionary approach will need to be taken in respect of development in flood risk and erosion impacted areas.
  6. Increasing rates of cycling and public transport use are key objectives to deliver a modal shift to more sustainable means of travel and development projects provide an opportunity to contribute to this.
  7. There are national and international targets for the management of waste and meeting future landfill capacity requirements that need to be met, and the Council is committed to supporting the transition to a low carbon 'circular economy'.
  8. Swansea does not have land banks of mineral reserves within its own administrative boundaries to meet development demands.
  9. There is significant potential for renewable and low carbon energy generation to be integral elements of development schemes, and along with new energy infrastructure, requiring such elements can help meet carbon reduction targets and deliver economic benefits.
  10. There are opportunities to reduce levels of pollution and enhance environmental quality, including in relation to air quality having regard to Swansea's designated Air Quality Management Area.

Social Issues: A more equal and healthier Swansea

  1. House prices vary to a highly significant degree across the County, with a high demand for affordable housing and homelessness experienced in certain areas, as well as demands for other specific types of accommodation to meet the varying needs of the population (including older people's accommodation). There are a variety of mechanisms to potentially increase delivery of affordable housing, including by the private sector on 'market led' developments, Registered Social Landlords (RSL) schemes, and also through the Council's own program for building new affordable homes.
  2. The demographics of the County are changing, with age profiles varying by Ward, but overall, the trend is towards an increasingly ageing population.
  3. The Council is committed to tackling poverty and addressing inequalities and divisions across communities in Swansea, including standards of living and access to opportunities, as well as addressing crime and anti-social behaviour, as part of a 'One Swansea' approach.
  4. The Council is a signatory to the Placemaking Wales Charter with the aim of strengthening the focus on Placemaking as a fundamental principle governing decision making at all scales across all areas of Swansea.
  5. As a member of the World Health Organisation's European Healthy Cities Network, Swansea is committed to reducing health inequalities and addressing the determinants of good health, including through the provision of sport, culture and leisure opportunities and creating a healthy built and natural environment.
  6. Swansea's status as a 'City of Sanctuary', recognises that refugees from various settlement programmes have acute needs to be addressed, which may include increases in the number of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children.
  7. The Council is committed to ensuring that the 'right schools' are located in the 'right places' so as to deliver accessible, high quality and sustainably located educational provision.
  8. Long-term empty properties and second homes in Swansea are subject to Council Tax premiums to try and help increase the stock of permanent homes and avoid adverse impacts that can arise from high rates of empty properties and/or second homes, particularly with regard to the sustainability and cohesiveness of communities.

Cultural Issues: A Swansea of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language

  1. The County's rich and distinctive built heritage and historic environment includes formally designated Conservation Areas, Historic Parks & Gardens, Listed Buildings and Scheduled Monuments, which are assets that need safeguarding and enhancing.
  2. Swansea has many buildings and other heritage assets that are not recognised by formal designations but that still make an important and significant local cultural contribution to community, identity and positive townscape.
  3. Safeguarding and promoting the Welsh language in Swansea, including through the Council's 10-year Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, is a corporate aim. This reflects the Council's intention to increase the use of the Welsh language in order to contribute towards the wider national target of achieving a million Welsh speakers by 2050.
  4. Swansea is a 'University City' with a significant student population and academic institutions that are anchored within the social, economic, educational / vocational and cultural fabric of the County and wider region.
  5. Changes in levels of accessibility to community facilities can impact the cultural fabric and sustainability credentials of our communities, particularly rural areas.
  6. There are opportunities to further coordinate the 'cultural offer' of Swansea, and to diversify and grow tourism by maximising the potential of Swansea Bay as an urban and rural destination.
  7. The City enjoys 'Purple Flag' status which recognises it provides a vibrant, diverse, and safe destination for visitors, particularly for evening and nighttime activities and experiences.
  8. Promoting Swansea as a cultural capital by nurturing growth in creative industries, including the Arts, has huge potential for delivering enhanced levels of investment and community participation.
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