Digital Infrastructure Event Showcases Connectivity Progress in Swansea Bay City Region

An event hosted by Swansea Bay City Deal's Digital Infrastructure Programme aimed to draw attention to the transformative potential of digital infrastructure in the region.
The event that took place in Parc y Scarlets stadium, Llanelli as well as being live streamed online, brought together industry leaders, policymakers and stakeholders to discuss the advancements in digital connectivity and innovation taking place, along with the challenges and many opportunities that being better connected brings.
Attendees were provided with a comprehensive overview of the programme, which is in full delivery across all three workstreams, highlighting its critical role in driving economic growth and social inclusion across the region.
Experts delved into topics such as 5G deployment, rural connectivity, and the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, offering valuable insights and practical solutions to further strengthen the region's digital ecosystem.
Rhys Jones from Arwain DGC said:
'Being involved in this event has been important for gaining insights into the challenges faced to improve network connectivity across this region.
'Additionally, the golden thread which was voiced by everyone involved, is indicative of the proactive approach that the Digital Infrastructure Programme takes, which is collaboration for success.
'Personally, being able to share and discuss the levels of innovation on Welsh farms, hopefully inspired all the attendees in the room and online.'
Prominent figures from the digital and technology sectors shared their visions for the future, emphasising the importance of robust digital infrastructure in fostering innovation and competitiveness.
Richard Williams, Head of Acquisitions at Ontix, said:
'We know that digital connectivity has fundamentally changed our world forever but making sure we can maximise its potential in order to improve real people's lives needs creativity, visionary thinking and strong leadership.
'The fantastic work that The Swansea Bay City Deal region is doing to embrace and unlock the opportunities presented by better connectivity for South West Wales demonstrates all of those qualities, and Ontix look forward to continuing to work with colleagues to help deliver better 4G and 5G connectivity across the area.'
Cllr, Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal Joint Committee, said:
'The resounding success of the event underscores the vital role of digital infrastructure in our future and as a region we are committed to ensuring that everyone benefits from these advancements.
'The digital infrastructure programme is not just about technology – it's about creating opportunities and improving lives.
'The event highlighted the incredible progress we've made so far as well as the continued collaborative work needed to maximise the exciting opportunities ahead.'

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Wales Online

6 hours ago

• Wales Online

The transformation of Swansea over the years and a look at what is still to come

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Y Storfa community services hub Progress continues to be made at the new community hub (Image: South Wales Evening Post ) This project will be built on the former BHS units on Oxford Street, and aims to provide a multi-purpose hub for the people of Swansea. ‌ The Welsh government provided a £2m grant towards the project and an additional £3.5m was also made available to Swansea Council to develop this project into a public focal point. Though the council had hoped that the project could be completed as soon as 2023, the scheme is due for completion this year. Council-run services like Swansea Library, the West Glamorgan Archive Service, Housing Options, lifelong learning, and the Contact Centre will calling the new community hub their home. ‌ Non-council tenants are set to include Careers Wales, Citizens Advice and Swansea University's South Wales Miners' Library. 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Additional funding has been secured from the Arts Council of Wales, the Architectural Heritage Fund and a community shares initiative. ‌ The first phase of work is anticipated to be completed this summer. Restoration of the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks How the Vivian and Musgrave Engine Houses could look like in the future (Image: South Wales Evening Post ) Swansea Council has approved the plans restore two engine houses at the former Hafod-Morfa Copperworks site. The project would see a new mezzanine and first floor being built at the Vivian engine house which is expected to be by occupied by tenants. ‌ The Musgrave engine house, which is next to Vivian engine house, will be turned into a exhibition area that will display the original engine. Additionally, a new building joining both the engine houses will also be built. The council, and the people behind the planning application say the new buildings will be available for a number uses like restaurants, cafe, exhibition space and retail. The funding for this project is being done through a mixture of Swansea Council funding, and Welsh Government funding via the levelling-up scheme. The council has successfully bid for £20m of UK Government funding for this project. ‌ Restoration of Castle Cinema How the Castle Square development could look like (Image: Swansea Council ) Council says work to restore the city's historic Castle Cinema building is going to start soon. The project is being spearheaded by local non-profit Beacon Cymru and contractors Easy Living Ltd. Plans for the project includes 30 new flats and fresh commercial spaces. ‌ The commercial units will occupy the lower part of the building facing the Strand, designed to house small-scale office operations. A two-storey commercial unit is planned on the main elevation overlooking Worcester Place and the castle, intended for café or restaurant use. A proposed glazed box, forming part of this unit, will offer views of the castle and open space. The project is being supported by the Swansea Council, via Welsh Government funding. The Castle Square revamp Work has now started on the council's plan to transform the Castle Square in Swansea. ‌ The transformation will see the addition of two pavilion buildings for food, drink or retail businesses; an increase in greenery including new lawns, ornamental and biodiverse planting to provide an area with 40% green space. A new interactive water feature will also be included, along with new outdoor seating areas and a giant TV screen above a bandstand-style facility. Preparatory work has already been undertaken at the site, including the re-laying of high-voltage cables to accommodate the square's future design, a project that has seen significant public engagement. ‌ The Leaf Boat sculpture, a distinguishing sight the Castle Square is also being removed in the next phase of the project. This piece will be safely stored while the council, in consultation with various parties including the sculptor, determines a new location for the artwork within Swansea. The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of next year, is being funded by Swansea Council with support from the Welsh Government. The Mumbles Coastal Defence Project It is due for completion this summer (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) ‌ This ambitious, multi-million pound project aims to replace the existing worn down seawall which was atleast over a hundred years old and had been showing cracks from years of wear and tear. This expansive civil engineering project is being undertaken with the objective of protecting businesses, organisations, attractions, events, and several homes against rising sea levels caused by climate change. The Welsh Government's claim is that the new seawall will protect the Mumbles coast for the next 100 years. ‌ The £26.5m project is primarily funded by the Welsh Government, managed by Swansea Council, and is being delivered by Knights Brown as the main contractor. However, Swansea Council is footing the bill for nearly 15% of the project, with the Welsh government also providing the local authority with the development costs associated with this scheme, amounting to £1.9m. It began in early 2023 and nearly 110 workers from Knights Brown have been working tirelessly on the project since. It is expected to be completed by summer this year. ‌ Digital infrastructure project In an effort to alleviate network congestion, small cell sites have been deployed to enhance network capacity as required, with the objective that people will be able to use their mobiles for calls, messaging or internet access during peak times in the city centre, such as during the Christmas parade and the Wales Airshow. This initiative, a collaboration between Swansea Council, Freshwave, and Virgin Media O2, is part of a larger regional digital infrastructure project costing £55m, which is partly being funded by the Swansea Bay City deal. Council says that the project has been spearheaded by the its digital champions, who have worked in close coordination with Freshwave, Virgin Media O2, and other council departments to minimise disruption for businesses and visitors to the city centre during the implementation phase. Article continues below Other Developments Student accommodation projects, such as the £22m Coppergate scheme on The Kingsway and the £65m Seren scheme on Mariner Street. A new market garden is in the works, courtesy of a £500,000 council investment in the market that will also enhance its entrances. An £11.4m placemaking grants investment is set to create new homes and boost commercial premises in the city centre. This funding comprises private contributions and £7m from the Welsh Government's Transforming Towns scheme.

Scottish Sun

12 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Bargain UK retailer to shut ‘another good shop' TODAY after announcing 68 closures with huge sales launched

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MAJOR UK retailer has permanently pulled the shutters on another location. The move comes as the budget chain announced a series of store closures in recent weeks. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Another Poundland store has pulled its shutters for the last time as part of the company's restructuring (stock image) Credit: Alamy Poundland confirmed the closure of its Flintshire Retail Park location earlier this week. The shopping chain is closing 68 stores across the UK as part of a restructuring plan. A further 82 Poundland locations are reported to be at risk in the coming years. This comes after Poundland was sold to the investment firm Gordon Brothers for just £1. Flintshire is one of many store locations to launch sales in the lead up to closure. The Leader reported on the latest development, speaking to a Poundland representative ahead of the Welsh store's closure. "We've been unable to agree terms that would allow us to keep trading in Flint, and the store is planned to close on June 21," the rep said. "We'd obviously like to thank customers for their support there." The Poundland spokesperson went on to discuss the effect the closure would have on the location's staff. "It goes without saying whenever we close a store in circumstances like these, we do all we can to look for other opportunities for colleagues and that work is underway," they said. Poundland to be sold for JUST £1 as frontrunner for shock takeover is revealed after wave of store closures "With over 800 locations across the UK and Ireland, we constantly review our store portfolio as leases expire or come up for renewal. " Flintshire residents shared their disappointment over the closure on Facebook. "Such a shame," wrote one local shopper. "It happened in Bangor, same thing, now it's a charity shop. It's a shame really and we all thought prices were going down," agreed another commenter. "Such a shame these shops are closing," wrote a third Flintshire resident. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." "Oh no, love Poundland, feel sorry for the people who work there," said another person. "It's really sad, a lot of people there [are] losing their jobs," agreed one Facebook user. Others blamed the increasing prices for the decline in Poundland's popularity. "Think the reason is the whole Poundland gimmick is gone now and other places are cheaper to buy from," pointed out one person. "Should not be allowed to call themselves Poundland when most items are costing more," agreed another commenter. "Nothing is a quid in there anymore anyway," wrote one Facebook user. "Getting too dear in there now anyways," said another local resident. A total of 200 Poundland locations were reported to be at risk amid the company's restructuring.

Leader Live

14 hours ago

• Leader Live

First Minister Eluned Morgan visits Wrexham University

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