| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? 19:09 - Aug 31 with 23990 views | Gowerjack |
I'm Swansea born and bred,a Penlan boy.
One of our esteemed posters who has moved away almost always slags his hometown.
For my part I think the City has been let down for decades both by the local council and the London and WAG.
I mean look at the mess made of the City centre road network for the failed bendy bus project ( not to mention the unfortunate people who lost their lives because of it). Or what about the "Boulevard Project" which after months of traffic disruption ended up being a wider pavement!
Or to go back a little longer the disaster that is Castle Square or the failed Cafe Quarter?
Or knocking down David Evans and replacing it with the current ugly and underused building?
Poor planning decisions and a lack of investment centrally have really hurt us.
I defy anyone to walk from Dyfatty down High Steet,Orchard Street,the Kingsway & St Helens Rd to the Guildhall and tell me that our City has not been allowed to become a complete s hithole.
It's a real shame that this combination of poor decision making and focusing public money elsewhere has led to this as Swansea has a location and natural environment second to none.
I'm old enough to remember Swansea as a bustling friendly and clean City with a sense of purpose.
Not anymore.
Your views?
[Post edited 31 Aug 2016 19:11]
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 10:10 - Sep 1 with 1789 views | Legend83 |
I was born and bred in Swansea but left (or was taken as I was only 13 at the time) in 1997.
Lived in Brynmill and Mountpleasant - what are these place like now? MP was an odd one - the lovely stretch along Ffynone Road and then 2 minutes round the corner the no-go zone of Terrace Road (christ, that school).
Fond memories of Singleton, Cwmdonkin and Sketty. |  | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 10:11 - Sep 1 with 1789 views | LeonisGod |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 22:34 - Aug 31 by Gowerjack |
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? Nothing wrong with what he wrote imo. |  | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 10:21 - Sep 1 with 1784 views | LeonisGod |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 22:27 - Aug 31 by RevJames |
I live in Cardiff but have family in Swansea and Carmarthenshire.
While Cardiff has better retail, Swansea has by far the better maritime quarter as it has the sweep of Swansea Bay, a nice marina, lovely beach with attractive cycle and walking routes.
As in so many cities, it is the out of town developments like Fforestfach and Parc Trostre that has damaged the city centre. Cardiff has been fortunate because of projects like the St David's 2, shops like John Lewis and nice restaurants help attract shoppers and other quality retailers.
Swansea desperately needs a decent shopping centre along with a gateway from the railway station that gives you a positive first impression.
A large park and ride on Fabian Way with the reintroduction of an electric modern tram along the Bay to Mumbles would also help bring tourists and reduce congestion along the main route into the Gower.
Most importantly, the Swans' status in the premier league playing in front of a global audience is priceless promotion of the City and Wales. Now that's something Cardiff can't compete with. |
Spot on imo. Cardiff trumps it for shops (easily), is far more prosperous and tends to have better infrastructure. But they have their own deprivation problems and the congestion is awful - I'd hate to live there myself. We've got the better physical setting. Although to be fair to Swansea, some of our facilities do trump Cardiff's - our LC2 and National Pool are miles better together than their 'International Pool' (they had to go one better lol).
The out of town developments have definitely taken people away from the City Centre. And the area around the station and top end of the High Street is practically 3rd World. The majority of the City Centre needs a major overhaul, but will any of the plans ever get sufficient funding?
A tram would be great, linking Neath to Bay Campus, to SA1, City Centre, Uni, BlackPill, Mumbles. Can't see that ever happening, although I believe it's been mooted by the Swansea Bay Cities Region team. | | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 10:29 - Sep 1 with 1777 views | Banosswan |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 10:21 - Sep 1 by LeonisGod |
Spot on imo. Cardiff trumps it for shops (easily), is far more prosperous and tends to have better infrastructure. But they have their own deprivation problems and the congestion is awful - I'd hate to live there myself. We've got the better physical setting. Although to be fair to Swansea, some of our facilities do trump Cardiff's - our LC2 and National Pool are miles better together than their 'International Pool' (they had to go one better lol).
The out of town developments have definitely taken people away from the City Centre. And the area around the station and top end of the High Street is practically 3rd World. The majority of the City Centre needs a major overhaul, but will any of the plans ever get sufficient funding?
A tram would be great, linking Neath to Bay Campus, to SA1, City Centre, Uni, BlackPill, Mumbles. Can't see that ever happening, although I believe it's been mooted by the Swansea Bay Cities Region team. |
http://m.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/closer-look-building-project-set-transform
Will hopefully start to sort out the upper end of high street.
More student flats along the river too. Those, with the penderyn and heritage development at the copper works will hopefully open up the river corridor. Hotel and a couple of wine bars by the copper works site and how nice would it be for fans to arrive at the train station, walk via the strand to the river and up a well-lit path, stopping for a nice drink along the way. |  |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 11:21 - Sep 1 with 1748 views | MrSwerve |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 10:29 - Sep 1 by Banosswan |
http://m.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/closer-look-building-project-set-transform
Will hopefully start to sort out the upper end of high street.
More student flats along the river too. Those, with the penderyn and heritage development at the copper works will hopefully open up the river corridor. Hotel and a couple of wine bars by the copper works site and how nice would it be for fans to arrive at the train station, walk via the strand to the river and up a well-lit path, stopping for a nice drink along the way. |
So the student accommodation will be finished in 2018.
The exact year that most of the students will be moving down to sa1 and away from the area. Fantastic. |  |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 11:39 - Sep 1 with 1734 views | Banosswan |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 11:21 - Sep 1 by MrSwerve |
So the student accommodation will be finished in 2018.
The exact year that most of the students will be moving down to sa1 and away from the area. Fantastic. |
Hendrevoilan has gone and Swansea uni will be expanding the singleton campus, so there will be demand for places to live. Who knows, it may reduce the number of hmos in brynmill etc, which could encourage more families to move there. | |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 12:12 - Sep 1 with 1709 views | Gowerjack |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 10:11 - Sep 1 by LeonisGod |
? Nothing wrong with what he wrote imo. |
No such place as etcetc | |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 12:21 - Sep 1 with 1701 views | Artur_Adeyemi |
Its a sh*thole. But its MY sh*thole | | | |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 12:54 - Sep 1 with 1677 views | perchrockjack |
most industrial cities were shitholes. It came with territory.
The cities that produced the wealth for this country are the ones most neglected by Thatcher as regards regeneration.
Most of the former power houses ,Glasgow,Newcastle,Manchester,Liverpool, Leeds are or have seen massive new and exciting schemes to improve the lives of people.
Swansea s shame is its councils over the decades have shamelessly raped it asunder, accentuated by the WAG .
I heard ,when home last, that some actually prefer to shop in Llanneli than Swansea which struck me speechless . | |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 13:01 - Sep 1 with 1672 views | lifelong |
Yes, there is a drug problem in Swansea, as there is in any city in the UK and a similar photograph could have been taken in any city in the UK.
If that photograph was intended to illustrate a typical young person in Swansea and surrounding area it is simply nonsense. |  | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 13:03 - Sep 1 with 1668 views | Darran |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 13:01 - Sep 1 by lifelong |
Yes, there is a drug problem in Swansea, as there is in any city in the UK and a similar photograph could have been taken in any city in the UK.
If that photograph was intended to illustrate a typical young person in Swansea and surrounding area it is simply nonsense. |
Exactly. |  |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 13:22 - Sep 1 with 1654 views | perchrockjack |
Indeed there is and it was a poor analogy .
On the other hand ,making out the city is some sort of nirvana is not right.
It's a case of shockingly bad councils and politicians being so inept.
Swansea has lost so many jobs which brought money into the town centre shops.
The jobs haven't been replaced and too many shops have died a death.
I was looking at some old books of Swansea and it's always been grimy and grim in places as we're all industrial cities . Gower was and always will be affluent and pretty but it doesn't help the city per se | |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 14:02 - Sep 1 with 1628 views | nice_to_michu |
I find it funny how many on this site argue that Swansea is where it is because the "council is crap, the WAG is crap", "totally incompetent blah blah blah".
Swansea Council has been run be various different parties over the years (including a lib dem/independent one prior to the current administration formed a few years ago). The problems the city has stretch over multiple administrations.
Look at other councils, are they thriving particularly? One look at Llanelli town centre will tell you the same story that is told about Swansea (and many other cities across Britain for that matter). What about the SE bias that everyone talks about? Has anyone actually been to Newport town centre before? Not exactly a bustling metropolis is it? Wrexham, with its independent-run council, isn't in great shape either. In fact, you could say it is pretty dire up there these days.
There have been many documentaries about the decline of town centres all over these isles, we are no different. People's shopping and living habits have changed. We need to adapt to this.
And what about before when there was no Welsh Assembly? People were complaining that nobody cared about Wales and the quangos did nothing for us etc etc.
So maybe it isn't necessarily our politicians that are crap, maybe their competancy is on par with the experiences of other councils or devolved governments across the UK.
I'm not a politician, nor have I ever been or any of my family. And I don't work for the council. But I also wonder how many of you have bothered to run for anything and put your money where your expert mouth is (since you will be compensated just £13,000 a year). There is no reason why a lot of the posters on here can't make a positive difference to the city, and maybe even represent the city in some form or another. |  | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 14:14 - Sep 1 with 1615 views | VetchitBack |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 13:01 - Sep 1 by lifelong |
Yes, there is a drug problem in Swansea, as there is in any city in the UK and a similar photograph could have been taken in any city in the UK.
If that photograph was intended to illustrate a typical young person in Swansea and surrounding area it is simply nonsense. |
I'm pretty sure it was used to illustrate High St not Swansea. In fact I'm almost certain. |  |
| The orthodox are always orthodox, regardless of the orthodoxy.
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 14:26 - Sep 1 with 1607 views | Lohengrin |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 14:14 - Sep 1 by VetchitBack |
I'm pretty sure it was used to illustrate High St not Swansea. In fact I'm almost certain. |
Of course it was. Gowerjack and myself were talking about the stretch between Dyfatty and the Guildhall. I was contrasting scenes from yesteryear to the dregs you'd encounter now beneath the arches.
Good grief! It strikes me as beyond daft I should have to underline that wasn't a reference to ALL youngsters.  |  |
| An idea isn't responsible for those who believe in it. |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 14:30 - Sep 1 with 1592 views | lifelong |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 14:26 - Sep 1 by Lohengrin |
Of course it was. Gowerjack and myself were talking about the stretch between Dyfatty and the Guildhall. I was contrasting scenes from yesteryear to the dregs you'd encounter now beneath the arches.
Good grief! It strikes me as beyond daft I should have to underline that wasn't a reference to ALL youngsters. |
I thought it was a poor choice of photograph for comparison purposes. | | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 14:37 - Sep 1 with 1583 views | LeonisGod |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 10:29 - Sep 1 by Banosswan |
http://m.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/closer-look-building-project-set-transform
Will hopefully start to sort out the upper end of high street.
More student flats along the river too. Those, with the penderyn and heritage development at the copper works will hopefully open up the river corridor. Hotel and a couple of wine bars by the copper works site and how nice would it be for fans to arrive at the train station, walk via the strand to the river and up a well-lit path, stopping for a nice drink along the way. |
Good stuff - desperately needs it. Like the sound of your pre-match scenario  | | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 14:41 - Sep 1 with 1574 views | Professor |
In all honesty as a child growing up in Neath and Rhondda, Swansea city centre was a nicer place in the 70s and into the 80s than most places. At some point around 1983 this all changed -Cardiff developed, cleaned up some pretty grim areas. Swansea is more naturally beautiful but lacks the buildings of Cathays Park, the Castle as well as new iconic buildings. Most cities seem to have developed-Swansea stood still and rotted.
Since the mid 80s I have lived in London, Oxford, Newbury, Shrewsbury, Warwickshire and Merseyside- I have also worked in Leicester and travel extensively including Africa. Sadly the city is now a mess-the comparison to Liverpool and how the fates of the cities development has been made several times. Swansea is on a par with northern towns like Burnley and Bolton in terms of how the city has developed. The potential is there, yet it seems only the University is acting to change. I went to the Manics in May and stayed in Morgans with the wife (Morgans is good). The walk to and from the Liberty showed how poor much of the city is-my wife's comments who is not a regular visit is that it is as bad as the valleys but larger. The potential is there-it needs to be acted on or decline will continue. | | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 15:01 - Sep 1 with 1557 views | Lohengrin |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 14:30 - Sep 1 by lifelong |
I thought it was a poor choice of photograph for comparison purposes. |
I think it's a pretty accurate depiction of the sort of debasement that results when a culture has shifted its centre from duty and obligation to the primacy of "rights." | |
| An idea isn't responsible for those who believe in it. |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 15:04 - Sep 1 with 1549 views | Darran |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 15:01 - Sep 1 by Lohengrin |
I think it's a pretty accurate depiction of the sort of debasement that results when a culture has shifted its centre from duty and obligation to the primacy of "rights." |
I don't know why you're bothering anyway according to Scouces rules it's got f*ck all to do with your sort. | |
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 15:34 - Sep 1 with 1544 views | lifelong |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 15:01 - Sep 1 by Lohengrin |
I think it's a pretty accurate depiction of the sort of debasement that results when a culture has shifted its centre from duty and obligation to the primacy of "rights." |
I don't really get all this "things were so much better back in the day".
The Upper High Street area has always been a rough part of the City, I walked it often enough in the early 70's. The dock area, now the Marina, was full of derelict buildings in a terrible state, if I'd had a camera in those days I could put up some pretty dreary photos of the number of down and outs sleeping rough in the area,
The East Side entrance to the City was also dreadful, as was the view people had while entering the City by train.
Swansea is not perfect by any means but it's certainly not the shitehouse that many people on here are making it out to be. | | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 15:43 - Sep 1 with 1528 views | monmouth |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 15:34 - Sep 1 by lifelong |
I don't really get all this "things were so much better back in the day".
The Upper High Street area has always been a rough part of the City, I walked it often enough in the early 70's. The dock area, now the Marina, was full of derelict buildings in a terrible state, if I'd had a camera in those days I could put up some pretty dreary photos of the number of down and outs sleeping rough in the area,
The East Side entrance to the City was also dreadful, as was the view people had while entering the City by train.
Swansea is not perfect by any means but it's certainly not the shitehouse that many people on here are making it out to be. |
I agree with this I think. Theres a bit of rose tinted memories going on. Swansea has been pretty rough and ready through my lifetime, and my old man says the same.
That's not to say that things haven't been f**ked up and it could be so much better. I don't see any evidence of much of a strategy, but to be fair I don't see much of that round here either, and we have our own drug problems in Abergavenny and Monmouth. And if you think Swansea's a shithole, go Newportwards. |  |
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| (No subject) (n/t) on 15:50 - Sep 1 with 1523 views | Gowerjack |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 15:34 - Sep 1 by lifelong |
I don't really get all this "things were so much better back in the day".
The Upper High Street area has always been a rough part of the City, I walked it often enough in the early 70's. The dock area, now the Marina, was full of derelict buildings in a terrible state, if I'd had a camera in those days I could put up some pretty dreary photos of the number of down and outs sleeping rough in the area,
The East Side entrance to the City was also dreadful, as was the view people had while entering the City by train.
Swansea is not perfect by any means but it's certainly not the shitehouse that many people on here are making it out to be. |
Fair points well made.
The issue is when you compare us to a city like Liverpool or Cardiff which have made joined up planning decisions and have had inward investment then we are falling further behind. [Post edited 1 Sep 2016 15:52]
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| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 16:13 - Sep 1 with 1502 views | jack247 |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 15:34 - Sep 1 by lifelong |
I don't really get all this "things were so much better back in the day".
The Upper High Street area has always been a rough part of the City, I walked it often enough in the early 70's. The dock area, now the Marina, was full of derelict buildings in a terrible state, if I'd had a camera in those days I could put up some pretty dreary photos of the number of down and outs sleeping rough in the area,
The East Side entrance to the City was also dreadful, as was the view people had while entering the City by train.
Swansea is not perfect by any means but it's certainly not the shitehouse that many people on here are making it out to be. |
Bollocks mun. Swansea was utopia by the sea in the seventies. Everyone knew each other and you never had to lock your doors. Much like Cardiff, Bristol and Liverpool are now. | | | |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 16:47 - Sep 1 with 1471 views | Banosswan |
| Swansea - what does everyone think of our City? on 16:13 - Sep 1 by jack247 |
Bollocks mun. Swansea was utopia by the sea in the seventies. Everyone knew each other and you never had to lock your doors. Much like Cardiff, Bristol and Liverpool are now. |
When I was growing up I seem to remember many people being proud that we were the car crime capital of the uk. | |
| Ever since my son was... never conceived, because I've never had consensual sex without money involved... I've always kind of looked at you as... a thing, that I could live next to... in accordance with state laws. | | Poll: | How do you like your steak? |
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