Swansea consultation on 17,000 new homes plan
Residents in Swansea are to be given their say on plans for more than 17,000 new homes across the city.
The local development plan is looking at how the area will grow after 2016 and the potential for 14,000 new jobs being created. Consultation is expected to start in December on 100 sites which could be earmarked for development. However, final details will not be decided until Spring 2015. The plan proposes development areas: Developments in the past have involved transforming the maritime quarter, the docklands for the SA1 housing and the lower Swansea valley. But the council admits that regenerating existing sites would not provide for all the city's future needs and it will need "significant additional - primarily greenfield - land for development". As well as "strategic" development sites for more than 500 homes and in some cases up to 1,000 homes, some existing housing areas will be expanded with up to 400 new homes. The city currently has a population of around 240,500 supporting 107,000 jobs. It expects over the next 10 years to be the economic hub and main driver of the new Swansea Bay City Region, which held its first meeting this week. Robert Francis Davies, cabinet member for enterprise, development and regeneration, said: "Swansea is a city which is constantly developing. "We know that the population will increase significantly in the coming years and we need to ensure that this city can develop in the right way, providing adequate space for housing and for economic growth." Councillors will be asked to put the next stage of the Local Development Plan (LDP) out to a month-long consultation.