#publicsectorhub — Public Fediverse posts

SWANSEA: Council leader rules out suing new Welsh Government over city-centre offices deal — as a revived WDA could hold the key

Construction of the office building — known as Block B, the first phase of the new public sector hub being built as the council’s new home at the former St David’s site — is due to step up within weeks, with work starting on site in July and completion targeted for early 2028.

But a key question still hangs over it: who, beyond the council itself, will fill it.

The deal that was signed — then left in limbo

The council and the previous Labour-led Welsh Government exchanged letters of intent before the Senedd election to bring Welsh Government staff into the new hub.

The proposal centred on relocating staff from the government’s offices near junction 47 of the M4 at Penllergaer — where average daily attendance was running at just 10% in early 2025 — into the city centre, with the council potentially taking on the Penllergaer building in return.

Then the election came, Plaid Cymru took power, and the new administration said it would review its office estate before committing to anything.

That left the council waiting to find out whether the deal would survive the change of government.

‘It would be ill-advised’

Pressed at a scrutiny panel this week on whether the council could hold the new government to the letter of intent, leader Rob Stewart was blunt about the idea of legal action.

He said it would be “ill-advised” for the council’s first dealing with the new administration to be taking it to court — particularly when the two sides had yet to even meet.

Stewart said he was due to meet Adam Price — the new government’s economy minister, who holds the enterprise and energy brief — in due course, in both his role as council leader and as deputy leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, where he speaks on the economy and energy. He hoped to open “productive discussions” with Cardiff.

He argued the new government was reasonably taking time to review its position, but stressed the letter of intent still stood.

Notably, he pointed out that the officials advising on the technical detail were the same under both administrations — so he hoped the advice given to the previous government would be “consistent” with what the new ministers were now told.

The WDA twist

The more intriguing possibility raised at the meeting was that the new government’s own plans could end up helping fill the disputed building.

Plaid has spoken of wanting to see “some form of WDA” — a revived version of the Welsh Development Agency, the economic body abolished in 2006.

There is a neat irony in that. The Penllergaer offices at the heart of the proposed swap were originally built for the WDA, and were never fully occupied after the agency was wound up.

Stewart said he had always believed such functions should be regionally based, and that he would press the case for a revived WDA — or at least part of it — to be located in Swansea, ideally in the city centre, where he argued it would have more economic impact than an out-of-town site.

As economy minister, Adam Price would be central to any such decision.

Why it matters

For Swansea, the stakes are straightforward: hundreds of public sector workers in the city centre would mean daily footfall for shops, cafés and businesses at a time when the centre is being remade around them.

The council’s own move into the hub is already locked in, driven by its planned exit from the ageing seafront Civic Centre, which secured a £20m UK Government funding boost for its own redevelopment earlier this year.

What remains unresolved is how much more of the new building will be brought to life — and whether a deal struck under one government survives under another.

A meeting between the council leader and the new economy minister is expected to be the next step.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Labour signed a deal to move Welsh Government offices to the city centre
Plaid Cymru has so far declined to confirm whether it will honour the pre-election agreement.

Major Swansea office scheme set for step forward
Plans for the new public sector hub on the former St David’s site moved closer.

£20m boost for Swansea Civic Centre
UK Government funding confirmed for the redevelopment of the seafront site the council is leaving.

Giant distribution warehouse approved next to M4 at Penllergaer
A major last-mile delivery hub raises fresh questions over Junction 47 capacity.

SWANSEA: Labour signed a deal to move Welsh Government offices from Penllergaer to the city centre. Plaid won’t say if they’ll honour it.

A pre-election agreement to base Welsh Government staff in Swansea’s new city centre public sector hub is hanging in the balance — after the incoming Plaid Cymru administration said it would review its office estate as a new government, with no decisions yet taken on any specific sites.

Swansea Council confirmed it had been in advanced talks with the previous Labour Welsh Government to secure a formal and physical presence for Welsh Government staff in the new five-storey hub being built at the former St David’s Shopping Centre site — and that letters of intent had been exchanged before the Senedd election.

A council spokesperson said: “We were engaging with the Welsh Government prior to the Senedd elections to look at options for them to have a formal and physical presence in Swansea city centre, which supports our regeneration activities and their investment in town and city centres. Now that a new government is in place we will open up this dialogue again with the hope of concluding discussions as soon as we are able to.”

The Welsh Government did not confirm the pre-election agreement, but said no decisions had been taken on future accommodation arrangements, including whether any specific sites would be used or how much space might be occupied.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “As a new administration, we will take the opportunity to review our office estate as part of good financial and asset management, and we are committed to doing so on a regular basis. As part of that work, a range of potential options will be explored with public sector partners, including different ways of using existing buildings. Any decision on the Welsh Government estate will be for Ministers.”

The proposed deal was understood to have involved the Welsh Government relocating staff from its existing offices near junction 47 of the M4 at Penllergaer to the new city centre hub, with the council potentially taking on the Penllergaer building as part of the arrangement.

That proposal drew pointed criticism from Cllr Chris Holley, the Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition on Swansea Council — and a man with direct experience of the building in question. Cllr Holley led the council between 2004 and 2012, and was at the helm when the Welsh Development Agency was abolished in 2006 and its Penllergaer office was transferred to the Welsh Government.

He said the building had struggled to attract occupants ever since, arguing it had become a liability for the Welsh Government following the WDA’s departure. He said he understood blue light services had already been approached about taking the space and had declined.

“Yes of course [I support Welsh Government jobs in the city centre] — but not at any cost,” Cllr Holley said. “They have lots of offices around Wales, yet we have to swap one for another.”

He also questioned the logic of the council taking on premises that a large organisation had been unable to fill. “If it didn’t work for the Welsh Government, how is it going to work for Swansea Council?” he said.

Welsh Government figures show around 400 staff have their location recorded as Penllergaer — but average daily attendance at the building was running at just 10% in March 2025, well below the two-days-a-week expectation for civil servants. Across its 20 sites in Wales, the Welsh Government employs around 5,700 people at a total annual cost of £24.5 million.

The Penllergaer site has its own complicated history. Swansea Council itself once had offices in the area — the former Lliw Valley Borough Council building, which the authority sold in 2016 partly to address a budget deficit. That site was sold to Carmarthenshire developer Enzo Developments, who later received planning permission for 80 homes and a preserved Grade II listed equatorial observatory — though Enzo’s Homes subsequently went into liquidation on a separate development in 2025.

The public sector hub at the heart of the proposed deal is the first building in the new Porth Copr district — the area that will eventually replace the former St David’s Shopping Centre car park, knitting together Copr Bay, St Mary’s Square and the Quadrant. Work on the site is already under way, with the hub designed to anchor public sector workers in the city centre and generate daily footfall for traders.

The council’s own commitment to the hub is separately driven by its planned departure from the seafront Civic Centre — which received a £20 million UK Government funding boost in March to support its redevelopment for housing, leisure and commercial uses.

Meanwhile, the Penllergaer business park has its own new chapter under way nearby — with a major logistics depot, understood to be an Amazon last-mile delivery hub, approved on an adjacent site in March, already raising questions about the capacity of junction 47 to absorb the additional traffic.

Council leader Rob Stewart was contacted for comment.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Work begins at former St David’s site for major new office development
Site investigation works are under way at the former St David’s Shopping Centre as the new public sector hub moves forward.

£20m boost for Swansea Civic Centre days after MPs call for action
UK Government funding confirmed for the redevelopment of the seafront Civic Centre site.

Giant distribution warehouse approved next to M4 — but will Junction 47 grind to a halt?
A major last-mile delivery hub approved at Penllergaer Business Park raises serious traffic concerns.

Carmarthenshire house builder goes into liquidation leaving half-built development
Enzo’s Homes, which bought the former Lliw Valley council offices site at Penllergaer, went into liquidation in 2025.

Major Swansea office scheme set for step forward

Aimed at boosting city centre footfall, the five-storey office development would accommodate up to 800 workers on the upper floors, with commercial premises including food and beverage on the ground floor.

Swansea Council’s cabinet is now being asked to approve funding to enable detailed designs and other work-up costs to take place.

The council says that the appointment of a main contractor to build the development would then follow, with construction earmarked to start in early 2026.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “There’s a lack of high-quality office accommodation in Swansea city centre, so this scheme – along with developments like 71/72 Kingsway and Princess Quarter – will help meet that need.

“It will also help to support our existing city centre businesses and attract new businesses there because of the footfall it will create.

“This is one part of a regeneration programme worth over £1bn that’s ongoing to create a more thriving city centre for the benefit of our residents and businesses.

“It will follow on from everything that’s been achieved so far, including Swansea Arena and the reopened Palace Theatre building.”

Swansea Council would take up a floor at the new office development, with the remaining office space set to be split between other public sector bodies and private sector businesses.

The council and its regeneration partners Urban Splash are developing the new building, with the council retaining ownership.

This would form part of the first phase of the overall site’s redevelopment being led by Urban Splash.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism, said: “Plans for the remainder of the former St David’s Shopping Centre site continue to be developed, but they could include educational and residential uses alongside cafes, restaurants and lots of green space.

“Designs will be made available for public feedback as soon as they’re finalised.”

The new office scheme is set for completion in 2027, helping free-up the city’s seafront Civic Centre site for redevelopment.

Urban Splash are also developing proposals for the Civic Centre site that the council says will be announced as soon as details are available.

#CllrRobStewart #CllrRobertFrancisDavies #officeDevelopment #PublicSectorHub #Swansea #SwanseaCityCentre #SwanseaCouncil

Site investigation works to start on new city office development

Swansea Council say the works are due to start on Monday 17 March and could take over a week to complete.

The council say the work will help pave the way for a new Public Sector Hub scheme that’s aimed at helping boost city centre footfall.

The grassed area outside St David’s Church Hall will be fenced off while the works are ongoing and the council say that every effort will be made to minimise disruption.

The Public Sector Hub will include commercial floor space for shops and restaurants on the ground floor. Swansea Council and a range of other public sector partners will occupy office space above.

Made up of four floors above ground level and one floor below, the council say that hundreds of workers will be based at the Public Sector Hub.

The council and its regeneration partners Urban Splash will develop the proposed new building, with the council retaining ownership.

This would form part of the first phase of the overall site’s redevelopment being led by Urban Splash, who are continuing to work on plans for the rest of the site.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “We all want our city centre to succeed and to have more shops and other businesses, but we know more footfall is needed to support our existing traders and attract new investment.

“That’s not just the case in Swansea – it’s the same in many other city and town centres across the UK because of challenges like online shopping.

“Schemes like the Public Sector Hub will combine with many others to locate thousands more jobs in the city centre, which will help boost spending there and encourage more shops to open up.

“This scheme will also enable the redevelopment of the Civic Centre site on the seafront. Our regeneration partners Urban Splash are working on detailed proposals for that site, which will be announced as soon as they’re finalised.”

The council say it’s anticipated construction on the Public Sector Hub itself will start on site by the end of 2025.

(Lead image: Swansea Council)

#CllrRobStewart #construction #officeDevelopment #PublicSectorHub #regeneration #StDavidSShoppingCentre #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil #UrbanSplash