South Wales Evening Post - 7 July 2006
There is bad news for Swansea city centre businesses hoping for a change in trading fortunes. According to the vast majority of respondents Swansea city centre just does not do it for them. Last year the big issue was the leisure centre. But that has now shifted.
Many people now say they are looking for improvements to city centre shopping areas to make them spend their money here.
They have complained about everything from shut down shops to a lack of consumer choice to the length of time it has taken for the David Evans redevelopment scheme.
One respondent to our survey said: "We need to improve the shopping experience to the level of Cardiff so that people from all parts of Wales and England are drawn here."
Not all shoppers are satisfied by what's on offer. One said: "Castle Gardens and the old David Evans store is bringing the city down. Other cities are attractive, why aren't we?"
Another said: "The council must revamp High Street and the train station."Seventy per cent of respondents said the shopping experience had got worse in the last year. Just 3.3 per cent thought it had got better. Just under 85 per cent of people say they do most of their big item shopping elsewhere.
Rosemary Morgan, chairwoman of the City Centre Partnership, admitted the city centre was looking tired, but said there were plenty of reasons for hope.
"The work going on at the moment will help make things much better," she said.
One reader shared Mrs Morgan's optimism for the future, saying: "Swansea is on the move. People must be patient."