TV studios facing demolition

Shoppers warned of city centre demolition work

A building that once housed a hub of the Welsh language broadcasting industry will be partially taken down on the weekend.

Contractors on site at Swansea’s largely-empty St David’s Shopping Centre site will continue demolishing the former Heno studio once run by S4C over the next two Sundays (September 30 and October 7).

Works are being carried out on Sundays to limit impact on trade because parts of the building back onto shops operating in the area.

Sunday working hours of 8am to 4.30pm will be in place but contractors will respect any church services in the area.

Swansea Council and the Welsh Government bought the largely-empty St David's site earlier this year. It's being demolished to open up land for long-term city centre regeneration when economic conditions improve.

A car park will be constructed on site in the short-term to meet the needs of city centre traders and boost footfall. Some of the concrete being taken down will be used in the construction of the car park.

Cllr Nick Bradley, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: "Works are progressing well but we’re very mindful of the needs of traders operating in the area. The part of the centre that once accommodated Heno is very close to some of the shops, and this is why we’re undertaking demolition works on Sundays there to minimise any inconvenience.

"This site is a key location in the city centre that’s been an obstacle to progress for too long. Its demolition will help breathe new life into the city centre in the long-term when economic conditions get better and we can put an imaginative new scheme in place there alongside our partners in the private sector.”

Workers on site are using major excavation equipment and remote-control demolition technology to bring the centre down.

Specialist processing equipment has now arrived to sort out materials from the debris taken down so far for recycling.

The Welsh Government contributed grants towards the purchase and demolition of the St David's site through its Regeneration Area programme and the Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science Department.

Two disused pedestrian footbridges have already been taken down as part of the demolition project – one that linked the centre with the Quadrant car park; the other in the centre itself.

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