A new collection of Swansea city centre homes is about to open for families and city centre workers, with more to come.
The latest openings will come at Market Lofts on the corner of Oxford Street and Portland Street, above a former greetings cards shop.
The shop unit itself has been refurbished and is set to reopen this year as a new city centre outlet for a well-known business.
Swansea-based company Oxford Portland acquired the building in recent years and began transformation work last year.
It’s expected that the 11 apartments – with one, two and three bedrooms plus French doors and Juliet balconies – will become available to residential tenants by the end of next month.
Oxford Portland directors Peter Loosmore and Kevin Roper – both Swansea-based – hope that the fit-out process on the ground floor commercial unit which has been let will start soon.
At the same time, they’re starting work on creating 10 more similar homes next door, in the former Next building now occupied by Shoezone, which is staying.
Both phases of Market Lofts have been supported by Swansea Council via the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Placemaking scheme.
Peter, whose development successes include the residential and commercial King’s Building on Kingsway Circle, said:
“It’s great to see people embracing city centre living in Swansea.
“There’s a lot of regeneration going on here and people are being attracted to that and to the new accommodation being created by our developments and others.
“Market Lofts offers quality and affordability in a great location.
“Kevin and I are looking forward to welcoming occupiers to the apartments and commercial space as part of the re-energised city centre.”
Council leader Rob Stewart said:
“The upper floors of the Market Lofts building were previously used by shops as storage and back-office space. The building’s exciting new use will breathe fresh life into a pivotal part of the city centre.
“They’re high-quality homes and, as with King’s Building and others, I’m sure they’ll be snapped up swiftly by people looking to rent right in the heart of Swansea.”
Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, Jayne Bryant, said:
“Our Transforming Towns programme is providing invaluable support across Swansea to renovate and give new life to disused buildings in the heart of the city centre.
“We know that demand for smaller, one-bedroom units is high in the area, and I am pleased to see that our placemaking grants will support the delivery of this much needed housing as well as accommodation suitable for families.
“Bringing empty buildings back into active use is a central pillar of our regeneration strategy and I look forward to seeing how the Market Lofts project will benefit both businesses and the local community.”
The new homes at Market Lofts are among scores being created in the city centre by private sector developers for families and workers.
They’re part of the city’s council-driven £1 billion regeneration which has seen developments such as Swansea Arena, a new-look Wind Street and a transformed Kingsway.
Projects underway include the 71/72 Kingsway office space, and two other projects supported through Transforming Towns: the Y Storfa public services hub and the revamped and restored Palace Theatre building.
Future city centre projects will include a greener, more welcoming Castle Square Gardens and a public sector hub near the arena.
