Everything about Swansea Docks totally explained
Swansea Docks is an
Atlantic shipping port in
Swansea, south
Wales. It is located immediately south east of
Swansea city centre. In the mid 19th century, the port was exporting 60% of the world's copper from factories situated in the
Tawe valley. The working docks area is currently owned and operated by
Associated British Ports and the northern part is undergoing re-development into a new urban area.
Construction
Increases in industrial output and in trade in copper, zinc, iron and tinplate combined with the developments in shipping (whereby steamships of greater tonnage were replacing smaller sailing vessels) meant that by the late 1800s Swansea's harbour was in desperate need of expansion.
The Swansea Harbour Trust commissioned the construction of the
Prince of Wales Dock, the first on the east side of the river. Opened in 1881 by the Prince & Princess of Wales (later
Edward VII and
Queen Alexandra), it wasn't completed until 1882. An additional expansion occurred in 1898. The North Quay frontage was let to the
Great Western Railway, the
Neath and Brecon Railway and the
Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway company, which linked the
Dolais Valley and
Rhondda valley coalfields directly with the docks.
Docks which have existed or still exist in the complex are:
- North Dock (construction 1852 - 1859) - filled in and redeveloped as the Parc Tawe retail complex
- South Dock (construction 1852 - 1859) - redeveloped as the Maritime Quarter
- Prince of Wales Dock (opened 1881) - undergoing redevelopment
- King's Dock (opened 1909) - used for freight operations
- Queen's Dock (opened 1920) - used for freight operations
Port facilities
The port has three
transit sheds with of storage space, 17
quayside cranes, two
drydocks, a
roll-on/roll-off berth and
container terminal. It offers
warehouses and facilities for handling dry bulks,
minerals,
ores,
forest products and general
cargo.
Ferry services
There is a roll on/roll off
ferry terminal in the western part of the docks. Up until 2007, a regular ferry to
Ringaskiddy in
County Cork,
Ireland departed from here. The ferry was operated by
Swansea Cork Ferries. The ferry service is suspended for 2007 and the ferry company hope to resume the service in 2008.
Redevelopment - SA1 Swansea Waterfront
SA1 Swansea Waterfront is the marketing name given to the
brownfield development area located in northern part of Swansea Docks. The area is located directly to the South East of the
city centre. It is bordered by the
Fabian Way to the north and covers the Prince of Wales Dock area.
The development will be a commercial and residential mix. The forecast outputs are 2900 new jobs, about 2000+ new apartments and houses, 65,000 m² (700,000 sq ft) of business/offices; 29,000 m² (312,000 sq ft) of commercial leisure; 26,400 m² (284,200 sq ft) of hotel development; 23,200 m² (249,700 sq ft) of institutional facilities; 1,015 m² (10,930 sq ft) of on shore marina facilities.
Completed projects
As of 2007, completed projects include:
two Swansea Technium business innovation centres developed jointly by the Welsh Development Agency and Swansea University to encourage more high-tech companies to locate or start up in the city;
bespoke offices for UK law firm Morgan Cole;
the dismantling and reassembly of the Grade II Listed Norwegian Church;
the Cyprium office complex leased by Admiral Insurance;
158 residential apartments by Bellway Homes;
J Shed warehouse converted into commercial space including offices and restaurants; and
the Waterfront Community Church.
the De Vere Village Hotel and Leisure Club.
Sail Bridge
Trafalgar Bridge over the barrage
speculative office development by Babcock and Brown called "Ellipse"
Under planning/construction
Projects under construction or in the pipeline include:
plus a range of office developments and affordable housing.
War Memorial
A war memorial is located in the Square between the two Technium buildings commemorating the Merchant seamen of Swansea during World War II.
Future plans
In written evidence presented to the Welsh Assembly's Enterprise and Learning Committee in January 2008, Swansea University stated that it was "at an advanced stage of discussion" about a new 'Innovation Campus' on a second site. On 20 March 2008, the university announced that it would conduct a more detailed examination and feasibility assessment of a site off Fabian Way, covering an area from the docks and the former BP plant to the Site of Special Scientific Interest at Crymlyn Bog. The new campus could be home to Engineering, Computing, Telecommunications, the Business and Law Schools and a range of offices for large and small companies.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Swansea Docks'.
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