Operators Shortlisted For Swansea’s New Indoor Arena Proposal
Four potential operators of Swansea’s proposed new indoor arena have been shortlisted.
The indoor arena being proposed for the city’s St David’s development site would be set within a new landscaped space on land south of Oystermouth Road.
Swansea Council has appointed Rivington Land to manage the regeneration of the site, which is made up of the former St David’s shopping centre and the LC car park.
The arena, with a capacity for 3,000 to 3,500 spectators, could host touring shows, world class musicians, leading comedians, exhibitions and conferences.
The shortlisting of the four potential operators follows an advert that was published in early November. The shortlisted companies will now be holding detailed discussions with the council, Rivington Land and specialist arena consultants IPW, with an appointment expected in coming months.
Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “It was only this time last year that Rivington Land announced the indoor arena as part of the winning ideas for the St David’s development site, so the shortlisting of potential operators shows how much progress has been made in 12 months. This is important because our focus has always been on delivering on our proposals for the people of Swansea, who have waited far too long for the kind of bustling city centre they deserve.
“The Swansea Bay City Region has also recently submitted a City Deal bid to the UK Government. If approved, that could lead to a digitally enabled indoor arena that would be capable of hosting major gaming conferences and tournaments as well, helping cater for the many thousands of gaming fans across South West Wales and beyond.
“This would be on top of potentially accommodating touring shows like X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing that don’t currently come to Swansea. We’ll now be looking to appoint an indoor arena operator over coming months as our exciting city centre regeneration plans continue to gather pace.
“Once the arena is open, we’ll look to bring world class acts and entertainment to Swansea on a regular basis.”
Other proposals for the St David’s development site include a hotel, shops, restaurants, a boutique cinema, plenty of car parking spaces and a broad pedestrian bridge over Oystermouth Road.
An outline planning application including the ideas and concepts for the site’s regeneration will be submitted by the end of March, 2017.
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