Minister welcomes Swansea’s steps to regeneration

Coastal Housing’s director of development Gerraint Oakley shows Wales’ Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis and Leader of Swansea Council David Phillips around the regeneration of High Street, Swans

Wales’ Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis, has welcomed the partnership approach that is showing progress in regenerating Swansea’s High Street and its surrounding area.

The Minister was in Swansea visiting projects that have benefited and received support from the Welsh Government Swansea Regeneration Area.

Amongst the highlights of his afternoon tour was a trip to Coastal Housing Group’s iconic Urban Village, to which the organisation has recently moved over 100 of its Swansea based staff. The Minister’s visit also took in progress on the voluntary landlord partnership initiative – an innovative multi-landowner approach to short term retail letting in partnership with Swansea Creative Hub – to improve the environment whilst promoting culture through imaginative use of spaces.

Coastal received £900,000 grant from the Swansea Regeneration Area for its Urban Village regeneration programme. It is intended to transform Swansea’s High Street, and bring Kings Lane back into use as the vibrant linkage between High Street and the Parc Tawe site. Boosting social and economic development, whilst improving the environment, the newly completed scheme results in a mixed use of up to eight retail units along High Street, with three floors of office space above.

Urban Village is the flagship development to kick-start the regeneration of High Street. It is complemented by a variety of programmes including Art Across the City and the Voluntary Landlord Partnership. Such programmes involve key partners including Coastal Housing Group, Welsh Government, Swansea City Council, Swansea Creative Hub and Swansea BID.
 

The Voluntary Landlord Partnership, a Coastal initiative working with Towncentred with the support of Regeneration Area grant funding, seeks to establish temporary uses of buildings and public space. It seeks to identify opportunities to support owners and potential users to set up arrangements including pop-up shops and re-using buildings. Art Across the City is an artist-led charity offering different ways for people to engage with contemporary art created for popular public spaces, giving everybody the chance to see and experience contemporary art without having to enter an art gallery.

The programmes complement works being delivered across Swansea under the collaborative City Centre Strategic Framework.

Huw Lewis said: “Through our various regeneration programmes the Welsh Government is helping to breathe new life into Swansea’s High Street, one of the key gateways to the city. It’s fantastic to see how the Urban Village is developing. It is a prime example of how effective the partnership approach to regeneration can be.”

Coastal Housing Group’s Chief Executive Tim Blanch said: “Urban Village is a flagship scheme to rejuvenate the area. It is complemented by a variety of innovative projects. Working in partnership, Coastal is seeking to explore opportunities to increase footfall and cultural and social activity in the area.”

Coastal Housing’s director of development Gerraint Oakley, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis, Leader of Swansea Council David Phillips and Coastal Housing Group’s Chief Executive Tim Blanch

We've moved!

We've now moved from our offices of the last twelve years in Wind Street to the new Urban Village in High Street.

Doors re-opened on Tuesday 1 May at 220 High Street.  (Our phone number has remained the same:01792 479200)

Tim Blanch, chief executive at Coastal said: “This is an exciting time for Coastal, we are moving to purpose built offices at the heart of our new Urban Village. Strategically it’s the right time for a move, we’ve been operating in Swansea for over 35 years and are continuing to adapt and expand our core business as well as move in new directions.”

“Over the years we have invested millions in the regeneration of the city, and particularly of the high street, and moving to this new flagship development confirms our commitment both to this project and to Swansea.”

“For our staff the office move will provide a much improved working environment all on one floor, with upgraded IT, dedicated meeting space and room to expand.”

“There has been a huge amount of interest from businesses wanting to take space in the Village. As an anchor firm we will be best placed to support and facilitate these companies as they begin to move to the Village.”

Spokeswoman for Coastal Housing, Caroline Williams added: “Due to the move we have a large amount of office furniture - desks, chairs, filing cabinets etc that are surplus to our needs and we welcome approaches from local charities and starter businesses – please email: caroline.belasco@coastalhousing.co.uk

Changing Places, Changing Faces

Cadwyn Housing Association CEO
Chris O'Meara (with her Tim Blanch mask!)

Tim Blanch, chief executive at Coastal Housing Group has changed places with Chris O’Meara chief executive of Cardiff based Cadwyn Housing Association – but only for one week!

Both Coastal and Cadwyn are part of the Integrate Development Group which actively encourages shared learning from the policies and procedures of its members.

Tim said: “It’s been a very useful experience. The staff at Cadwyn have been extremely friendly and open. It’s been great looking at some types of work that Coastal does not do, and at areas where we are starting up, with many useful lessons to learn. Some the of the most useful ides have been completely unexpected, just things that have come up in discussions.

It’s also been great to share the challenges, and to understand the different context in which they work compared to us. Day 5 in the big brother house. The other residents are still friendly and helpful, I have finally managed to work all the IT and to find where everything is in the kitchen. The sun has been shining all week, and I have had plenty of time to think.”

Staff at Cadwyn have presented Tim with a Chris “mask” for the week!

Chris said about her week at Coastal: “I’ve had a great week at Coastal and loved being in a different city. A lot of what Coastal and Cadwyn do is the same, but some is very different. I’ve been able to get more detail on a number of projects which I think could help us and picked up loads of new ideas. Staff have been friendly and welcoming and apart from the faces looking different, it feels like Cadwyn! The culture feels very similar.

From what Tim has said, he has felt the same about Cadwyn. We are all facing rapid change and seeing how others approach the future has got to be a worthwhile experience.

Caroline Belasco, Head of Human Resources at Coastal added: “Job swapping is certainly a worthwhile experience and something we will be exploring for other staff who are interested.”