‘Struggling’ UK city getting major makeover with new beach zone | UK | Travel

Would you take a beach holiday in one of the UK’s worst cities?

In 2024, a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) assessed cities across the UK on a range of metrics, from health to income and safety. Cities such as Plymouth and Bristol came out on top, while Swansea was voted the worst city to live in.

“Swansea does, however, continue to grapple with economic disparity, with areas marked by significant deprivation. The cost of energy, insufficient access to affordable and safe housing and low emotional well-being are some of the key areas of concern,” the report noted. 

However, the city on the south coast of Wales could soon become a much more desirable destination if regeneration plans go ahead. Indeed, it could even find itself becoming the next hot seaside destination. 

Regeneration company Urban Splash has put together a plan dubbed City on the Beach to turn Swansea into a seaside-style resort, showcasing a saltwater lido, event spaces, modern apartments and workspaces, and even an aquarium that would bring new life to the city.

Other images in the potential plans show a pier stretching across the beach and out to sea, connecting to a promenade along the waterfront. A green space would be opened up in front of the civic centre where people could gather and enjoy the sea views. 

At the heart of the project, the saltwater lido would offer a place for outdoor swimming, even when the tide is out. Plans show the lido located at the bottom of the existing steps, making an interesting feature out of the current infrastructure. 

The plans were drawn up to regenerate the Swansea Civic Centre, a Brutalist building constructed between 1979 and 1984 that has long been divisive among the city’s residents. The grey concrete building has been earmarked for demolition in the hopes that the prime location on Swansea Beach could be put to better use.

But if the plans were approved, the building would be repurposed and the ground floor used for “leisure, health and hospitality”, according to a brochure produced by Urban Splash. It added: “Activity can spill out onto the grassy knolls, promenade and beach. It can be an animated public space, for events, community and tourism.”

Swansea Beach is a five-mile stretch of coast that runs between the Maritime Quarter and ends near Mumbles, sometimes dubbed the Monaco of Wales. Its large sandy beach rivals many popular seaside towns, but it’s often overlooked as a beach destination in favour of nearby spots like Aberavon. 

Bringing bars, restaurants, and beach shops to the beachfront could give it more of a seaside vibe, encouraging people to visit for a leisurely day at the coast. 

The plans will be put on display at the Y Storfa community services hub in Swansea’s city centre on January 28 and 29, allowing locals to preview the proposals before they’re fully launched online next week.

In addition to the development around the beach area, Urban Splash are also looking to develop Porth Copr in the city centre just a few minutes away. The area is billed as a mixed-use space with offices and a learning campus in addition to cafes and restaurants set around a green space. 

While the PWC report may be skeptical about Swansea’s growth prospects, there is a lot more to life than that. As ReachPLC’s Steffan Rhys notes.

“No other city in the UK has a beach like Swansea’s, stretching for an astonishing five miles from the city centre all the way to the gorgeous village of Mumbles at its western outskirts. All of it is easily accessible to the public at any point and it dwarfs Brighton, one of very few British cities that could claim to have a city beach that comes even close to Swansea’s,” Steffan wrote last year.

“The beach, which runs along almost the entirety of the city’s southern edge, has a footpath and cycle path running alongside for the entire five miles and you can spend hours here just strolling or cycling along, enjoying the views, popping down to the beach or stopping en route at places like Blackpill lido, where children can play in the splashpad or in the well-kept playground.”

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com