Padel courts, zip wire and a year-round lido: Swansea’s big plans for the bay — but no answers on the slip bridge

The plans were presented to councillors at a meeting of the economy and infrastructure service transformation committee on 2 April, where a feasibility study commissioned in 2024 was laid out in full for the first time.

The study covers the foreshore corridor from West Pier at Swansea Marina all the way to the Clyne River Bridge at Blackpill — deliberately steering clear of the Civic Centre site, which is already being redeveloped by Urban Splash, and Mumbles, where a major seawall and promenade project has recently been completed.

Steve Hopkins, the council’s strategic manager for tourism, marketing and special events, told councillors that tourism is already worth £658 million a year to Swansea’s economy and supports 5,400 jobs, with 4.62 million visitors recorded in 2024. But the study was blunt about the bay’s shortcomings. The official report identifies a “lack of vibrancy and facilities along the foreshore” and an “undefined unique selling point” compared to other UK seaside destinations, with the road dominating and facilities in poor condition in places.

Nearly 800 people were consulted as part of the study — including seafront businesses, beach users, residents and councillors — and the message was consistent: more eateries, better toilets, improved seating, barbecue spots, public art, viewing platforms, beach-related retail and easier access to the beach itself. Better and cheaper parking also came through strongly, as did a call for the Swansea Bay Rider land train service to be extended eastward past St Helens, in addition to its current westward run towards Mumbles.

The study divides the foreshore into a series of distinct zones. The promenade area closest to the Civic Centre would get separate “fast” and “slow” routes for cyclists and pedestrians, widened surfaces, new seating, tree planting, improved lighting and a new signature sculpture. The St Helens activity zone — which will see the Ospreys return to St Helens Stadium — would get improved public realm to make the matchday and events experience better for spectators, with pop-up food stalls and a large screen among the ideas. The ecology area near the foot golf site would become a nature education centre, using the existing building, with better interpretation and footpaths allowing visitors to explore SSSI habitats closer to the shore.

The centrepiece of the near-term ambitions is Blackpill. The study proposes significantly expanding the lido and surrounding area, with a relocated zip line and crazy golf from Singleton Park, a new flexible events space with a tensile structure for all-year use, a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Clyne River, formalised beach access points, planting to improve the road frontage and food and drink including a beach bar. The aim is to make the lido somewhere people visit in January as well as July.

Padel courts are also specifically proposed near the Singleton Park boating lake, alongside upgraded kiosks, terraced banks and improved planting. Hopkins acknowledged the sport’s rapid spread — “dare I say it, padel courts, they don’t seem to be going away,” he told the committee — but said the foreshore offered a great backdrop for the right facility in the right place. Beach sports zones and designated family areas are also in the mix.

Tracey McNulty, head of cultural services, parks and cleansing, was clear that the plans were early-stage. “At this moment the proposals are very much about improving things gently rather than building new things,” she told the committee. The study is not yet an adopted strategy and no funding has been secured. The next step, officers say, is to develop the proposals into worked-up schemes ready to bid for capital funding when opportunities arise — whether through Welsh Government regeneration grants, tourism funding, active travel budgets or partnership with organisations including Swansea University and the Welsh Wildlife Trusts.

Committee chair Cllr Phil Downing welcomed the report but asked whether new commercial activity along the foreshore could drain footfall from the city centre — a concern officers said they had factored in, with the aim being to attract new visitors rather than displace existing spending. Cllr Mike White called the bay “absolutely tremendous” and asked about beach volleyball, log cabin lookout points and whether boats could return to the boating lake, citing busy volleyball events he had seen in Bournemouth as an example of what the space could host.

One question councillors couldn’t get a straight answer on was the future of the slip bridge. Cllr White raised it directly, but Tracey McNulty told the committee it hadn’t been included in the study, describing it as “a live topic, an issue structurally with highways” and adding that she wasn’t party to that discussion. The slip bridge — a much-loved Victorian iron footbridge that once connected the promenade to the foreshore near St Helens — remains dismantled, with its arch currently sitting on the cycle path near St Helens and the original stone abutments standing unused along Oystermouth Road. Swansea Council has allocated £139,000 to assist the Friends of Swansea Slip Bridge, and campaigners are pushing for a replica built from modern steel after the original 1915 span was deemed beyond repair. But its future remained unresolved at the meeting — and absent from the official report entirely.

Cllr Downing closed the meeting on a lighter note, suggesting saunas could be added to the foreshore offer for winter visitors.

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Fri. April 10, 2026: Spring Sunshine

Friday, April 10, 2026

Waning Moon

Sunny and cold

Friday! I’m excited for the weekend. Even though I have taxes, I’m hoping to get a lot of sleep in.

I was actually in the flow enough so I could get some work done on BETTING MAN before the online meditation group (I’d done my own morning yoga, meditation, and free write session already, with the moon smiling down on me). That felt good, to finally get past the chapter with which I’ve been wrestling for far too long.

Charlotte was delighted with online meditation. It’s her favorite part of the week.

After meditation and breakfast, I headed off to the grocery store for a light grocery shop, and then ran another errand before swinging by the library for a drop-off/pick-up.

Home in time for #FreelanceFriends, which was fun. I got a little bit of work done on the ghostwriting, but also did my federal taxes. I started the state, but that form is intentionally nonsensical, and I was too tired to focus on it. I got some planting done, so that was good.

Annoyed, but not surprised that Amazon is cutting off service to their older Kindles. My Fire is from, I think, 2014 or 2015, so maybe I can use it for another year or two. I won’t get another Kindle when they cut me off. I may get some other kind of tablet, and just have a Kindle app on it, although I’m sure, eventually, they will end that and only let Kindle books be read on their own devices. And then I will get my ebooks elsewhere.

And people wonder why I refuse to do KDP, either as an author or a reader.

My Llewellyn editor asked me to be a part of the 2028 Witches’ Companion, so I will form the ideas I’ve been playing with into something cohesive and send them early next week. I usually send her two or three ideas, and she picks the one she feels will work best in context.

I got my act together, put on Real People Pants, and walked up to the library for the Trustees meeting. It was a lovely spring evening, and definitely worth walking. However, not enough Trustees showed up to actually have the meeting, so it was canceled, although we didn’t mind having a half hour just to hang out and chat.

Walked home, and got to play with a lot of dogs out on their evening walks. I don’t know the names of many people in the extended neighborhood, but I know the dogs, and they all know me and are always so happy to see me. I got to read on the porch for a bit, and then had the online library cohort meeting (Charlotte, once again, was delighted). We are a good group, and even scattered all over the country as we are, we have cohesion.

It took me a bit to settle down after the meeting, and I slept reasonably well. I was up early this morning, fed everyone, and hauled the laundry to the laundromat. There were other people there this morning, but we all hung out in our own cars as things washed and dried, and were pleasant in passing as we switched machines, so it was fine.

Home, and did the freewrite session, trying to work out one of the pieces that’s on deadline at the end of the month. It’s a short piece, but sometimes those are harder to pin down.

I will do my yoga and meditation at the end of the day today, rather than in the morning. Tessa gets annoyed when I change up the routine, and she hates it that I don’t go to the laundromat on the same day every week so she can plan, but hey, life is hard.

On today’s agenda: folding and putting away laundry (which I will do as soon as I post this), working on BETTING MAN, working on the ghostwriting, working on my Llewellyn pitches, contacting my elected officials, working on taxes, doing some more planting.

Tomorrow should be a fairly quiet day, except for housework and taxes and contest entries. Sunday, a colleague at the gallery is doing an event in the afternoon, so I will go down for that. I hope to get in some work on BETTING MAN, and maybe on the two pieces on deadline. If the light is good, maybe I can sew a little, too.

The next few weeks ramp up as far as commitments go, so I have to pace myself. The ghostwriting deadlines will tighten over that time, too, so I’m also trying to leave myself enough thinking time.

Have a great weekend, and we’ll catch up on the other side.

PORT TALBOT: Victorian school building to be transformed into vocational training centre for teenagers — with a stunning new courtyard at its heart

Neath Port Talbot Council has secured planning permission to convert the former Education Library and Resource Centre on the corner of Reginald Street and Villiers Street in Velindre into a purpose-built vocational training facility for teenagers — with a dramatic new covered courtyard at the heart of the design.

The new centre has been named Trefelin Pathways to Progression, a name chosen following consultation with young people. It will provide practical, bilingual vocational training for learners aged 14 to 16 across a wide range of subjects, in preparation for new national vocational qualifications due to be introduced in September 2027.

The centrepiece of the design is a dramatic transformation of the building’s central courtyard, which will be enclosed with a lightweight ETFE canopy — the same translucent material used in structures like the Eden Project — creating a bright, weather-protected social and learning space at the heart of the building. Artist’s impressions show a soaring timber-lined atrium with tiered seating steps, indoor planting and open café-style tables and chairs.

The rest of the building will be fitted out with purpose-built workshops covering construction trades, hair and beauty, hospitality and catering, animal care, engineering, creative media, travel and tourism and emerging digital pathways. All provision will be bilingual.

The project uses what the architects describe as a fabric first, low carbon retrofit approach — prioritising the improvement of the building’s structure and fabric rather than relying on mechanical systems to make it energy efficient. New green spaces, improved landscaping and upgraded drainage will also be delivered as part of the scheme.

The centre will allow schools across Neath Port Talbot to expand their existing Pathways to Progression offer, giving pupils the chance to study vocational qualifications delivered by specialist tutors with real industry backgrounds in purpose-built facilities. The council says the development will ensure parity between vocational and academic qualifications across NPT schools.

Funding comes from the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, and the project is being delivered as part of the council’s Strategic Schools Improvement Programme. Detailed design work will now progress following the planning approval, with the council focusing on finalising internal layouts and coordinating specialist vocational spaces.

Work to date has included extensive engagement with residents, schools, service teams and technical specialists. The council says that once complete, the centre will provide a dedicated facility supporting practical skills development, employment pathways and community learning for the people of Neath Port Talbot.

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Given the abusive policies, poor working conditions, and job insecurities of working for many large corporations, here’s my recommendation: if you’re looking for a job, look closely at Small and Medium-Sized Business (SMB) opportunities.

Mega-corporations are no longer the goose that lays golden eggs. They are shedding jobs and shredding souls.

If you have the personality for it, I encourage you to start your own business, but I know that’s not for everyone.

“But Bob, I can’t make as much money if I don’t work for a mega-company!”

Okay, it’s time for some serious introspection. What do you want out of life? What will create your contentment and peace? It may be time to reduce your spending, reduce your stress, and walk away from the superficial trappings of success that are causing you stress, not inner calm.

If you want to make a difference, and be more easily recognized for the difference you make, work in a smaller company where you can shine brightly.

#jobs #employment #security #planning #goals

fly51fly (@fly51fly)

대규모 언어모델이 잠재적 계획(latent planning)을 얼마나 깊게 발견할 수 있는지의 한계를 분석한 논문 'The Depth Ceiling'이 소개되었다. LLM의 추론·계획 능력의 구조적 한계를 다룬 연구로, 모델 평가와 에이전트 설계에 의미가 있다.

https://x.com/fly51fly/status/2042354545263882585

#llm #planning #reasoning #research #arxiv

Thurs. April 9, 2026: Steady Work

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Waning Moon

Sunny and pleasant

You can read the latest on the garden over on Gratitude and Growth.

After breakfast, we layered up (it was in the 20’sF here, although sunny) and headed out to Williamstown for my mom’s bloodwork. They were very quick, and the nurse is always gentle with her.

We explored a different way back, which was fun (always good to know how the roads connect), and stopped at Wild Oats on the way back. They are renovating, and things were moved around, which was kind of frustrating, but I found a few things. I hadn’t been there in ages, due to lack of a car.

Took another different way home from Wild Oats to avoid the construction on Ashland, so it was a nice little outing.

Bea greeted me like I’d been gone for a month.

Typed up some notes, got through a bunch of email. Sorted out some meeting stuff. Rode my elected officials about not backing down and getting complacent over the next two weeks.

Had a good session on the ghostwriting. Got my ticket sorted out for next week’s local panel by the theatre with whom I work. Prepped for tonight’s meetings.

Quiet evening, which I needed, with the way things are gearing up over the next few weeks. It was pleasant enough to sit on the porch with a book and a glass of wine for a bit.

A friend sent me his book, and I look forward to reading it (probably over the weekend).

I’m going to check to make sure I have everything I need for the taxes, although I probably won’t actually do them until Saturday. Way to ruin the weekend, right? I don’t mind the state taxes (although I hate the form, it is intentionally over-complicated). I resent the federal, at this point.

I’m taking this week’s tarot reading to heart in that I’m showing up and doing the work (and enjoying it), per the 8 of Pentacles. At the same time, in spite of all this Aries energy pushing us, I want to be cautious. I don’t want to scatter in dozens of directions and not actually get anything done because I’m afraid of missing something. I want to actually  make progress on the work I’m doing.

Yesterday was funny, because the card I pulled for the daily reading was the Hermit, which made sense. Later in the day, working with the Bonestone deck, I pulled. . .the Hermit. Yes, yesterday was a lot about solitude, which suits me well.

Wait, wait. . . our government threatened the Pope? Every time I think they can’t go any lower, they do. The arrogance and ego. The Church better excommunicate that hypocrite VP who’s hyping a new book claiming he converted.

On today’s agenda: Online meditation group, the Freelance Friends chat, library trustees meeting, library cohort meeting. In between all of that, I need to do a quick trip to the grocery store and library, work on BETTING MAN, and work on the ghostwriting.

Have a good one!

CWMBWRLA: Plans in for 12 flats above the CK Foodstores supermarket near Cwmbwrla Roundabout

Thirty-two new flats could be built above the CK Foodstores supermarket on Pentregethin Road in Cwmbwrla — on a street that has become one of Swansea’s most troubled corners in recent years, as repeated flooding from a nearby sinkhole brought the roundabout to a standstill time and again.

Plans filed with Swansea Council under application reference 2026/0523/PRE propose converting the currently empty upper floors of the store — a prominent building near Cwmbwrla Roundabout, opposite Swansea Ambulance Station — into a mix of one and two-bedroom self-contained apartments. The ground floor shop, Post Office and car park would all stay as they are.

The store’s upper floors have sat largely unused for years, their original purpose as warehouse space long since redundant. The plans, drawn up by Prime Architecture on behalf of CK Stores Ltd, say the building is well placed for housing given its location right in the heart of Cwmbwrla, with bus stops within 50 yards and a rail link nearby.

Each of the 32 flats would have its own front door and staircase from street level. The architects say a lift could also be included, and that every flat would meet disabled access standards. The building’s exterior would be updated with new facing brickwork, zinc cladding and aluminium windows and doors.

The area badly needs the housing. Census figures show 34% of households in the immediate area are in social housing — nearly double the national average of 17.5%.

Parking for the new residents is planned to be shared with the supermarket, using the existing car park on the opposite side of Pentregethin Road.

Behind the planning application is CK Stores Ltd, whose managing director is Christopher Kiley — one of Swansea’s most colourful business figures. Kiley founded the chain in 1988 after acquiring a small store in Llandeilo, and has since built it into a network of more than 30 supermarkets across South and West Wales, turning over around £68m a year.

But Kiley is rarely far from controversy. CK Foodstores was fined £36,000 last year for serious allergen labelling breaches at its Narberth store. Before that, an ITV Wales and S4C investigation found nearly half of the chain’s stores were selling meat and fresh produce past their use-by date — in one case by 13 days. Kiley’s company agreed to be interviewed three times, then pulled out each time. Beyond the supermarkets, he made national headlines in 2015 after flying his helicopter into Heathrow’s airspace and bringing the airport to a halt, and has clashed with Swansea Council over works at his Caswell Bay estate on the Gower, including the felling of protected trees without permission.

The Pentregethin Road store sits right at the heart of what has been a deeply troubled patch. Just a street away, the old Cwmfelin Social Club — demolished after spending two years perched on the edge of a giant sinkhole — repeatedly caused Cwmbwrla Roundabout to flood and close, submerging cars, with engineers uncovering a hidden Victorian tramway channel beneath the site. The saga is not over yet — one lane on the roundabout and the busy Carmarthen Road remain closed to accommodate pumping equipment to prevent the flooding from returning.

The Post Office relocated to the CK Foodstores site in 2021 following the closure of nearby Manselton Post Office and would continue operating from the ground floor under the proposals.

The plans also include bird and bat boxes on the building and secure cycle storage for residents.

The application is now being considered by Swansea Council. Anyone wishing to view the documents or comment can search for reference 2026/0523/PRE on the council’s planning portal at swansea.gov.uk/planningsearch.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Supermarket chain fined £36,000 for unsafe food labelling breaches
CK Foodstores convicted after allergen labelling failures found at its Narberth store.

Demolition of Cwmfelin Social Club begins after two years on edge of giant sinkhole
The end of a long saga for a building that brought Cwmbwrla to a standstill.

Cwmbwrla roundabout closed again as floodwaters rise under amber weather warning
One of many closures that plagued the area as the sinkhole saga dragged on.

TOWNHILL: Social housing developer plans 27 affordable homes on derelict nursery site
Plans for new affordable housing on a derelict site just over a mile away in Townhill.

Editors Note
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that 32 flats were being proposed. The figure is in fact 12 flats. The article has been updated to reflect this.

Plans for micro-brewery building are approved

https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/2026/04/09/plans-for-micro-brewery-building-are-approved/