South Wales Evening Post - 28 January 2009
A multi-million pound initiative to tackle a range of social and economic issues in Swansea has been announced — but city residents will have to wait to see if they are affected.
Swansea city centre is to be designated a Strategic Regeneration Area (SRA) and will benefit from a new approach by the Assembly to address social and economic regeneration.
However, the exact details — including how far into the communities surrounding the city centre the SRA will benefit — have yet to be agreed. The investment, announced by Leighton Andrews, Deputy Minister for Regeneration, is in addition to the Swansea City Centre Framework — a £1 billion blueprint designed to redevelop and regenerate the city centre, creating 9,000 additional jobs.
Mr Andrews said the new initiative was aimed at tackling the root causes of deprivation and putting people and communities at the heart of the equation "The SRA proposals for Swansea are designed to address key social issues while also capitalising on the abundant opportunities that exist within and around the city," he said.
"The regeneration of Swansea will require a range of integrated interventions which will be mainly directed at the centre of the city.
"Interventions will be designed to reinforce Swansea's role as the regional capital city with a modern competitive economy and the ability to deliver a high quality of life, a sustainable environment and a vibrant waterfront of international standards."
Today's announcement marks the start of a partnership between the Assembly and other organisations in the city, such as Swansea Council, Communities First Projects, and the voluntary sector, who will help to decide which areas will be covered.
An action plan will then be drawn up to tackle the issues, and a substantial budget anticipated to run into tens of millions of pounds will be allocated for the project.
The creation of an SRA in Swansea follows a similar model created in the Heads of the Valleys — included in that project was a move to get more people into jobs by working with employers and the unemployed.
Swansea Council has welcomed the announcement. Council leader Chris Holley said: "This is terrific news and will complement billion-pound plans to regenerate several key sites in the city centre and on the waterfront.
"It will help further drive investment and is another encouraging announcement for the city in a time of economic uncertainty across the country. Swansea city centre's designation as an SRA is a significant boost in our quest to become a European city of distinction by 2020."
