© South Wales Evening Post - 24 August 2005
A New campaign to turn around the fortunes of Swansea city centre is on the cards for the new year. Bosses today announced plans to appoint a city centre marketing officer and an evening manager, tasked with improving the area from dusk to dawn.
There will also be high profile campaigns targeting negative perceptions of the city centre and promoting key activities, such as Sunday and late-night shopping.
The plans have been unveiled by the team working on creating a Business Improvement District in the city centre, the first in Wales.
More than 800 businesses have been consulted for their views on what they want to see in the city centre, and the result is a major set of improvement proposals.
"We've been working closely with senior managers in the council and potential match-funders on the improvements that the local business community wants," said bids co-ordinator Lisa Wells.
"The projects will reassert the city centre as the regional centre for South West Wales for shopping, leisure and commerce."A new marketing and communications officer will be appointed to actively promote the city centre as a premier destination.
With Swansea's night-time economy now estimated to be worth at least £200 million a year, another new appointment will be an evening economy co-ordinator, whose job will be to manage and improve the city centre through the night.
Plans to address criticism that the city centre has become like any other, with a bland range of shops, is being tackled, as will concerns at the number of empty premises in the area.There are plans for murals and window posters be put on vacant shops.
Ms Wells said: "Another project involves producing an inward investment pack to lift the range, quality and diversity of the commercial offer in the city centre.
"We want to provide start-up grants to encourage entrepreneurs, independent and specialised retailing and to fill vacant properties."
