Big changes are on the way for our cities in Wales. Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport are constantly evolving, although some developments are faster getting off the ground than others.
In Cardiff the battle is on for which developer will erect the tallest building to grace the city’s future skyline and take over from Swansea as the home of Wales’ tallest residential structure. These plans are among multiple industrial, commercial, residential, and environmental projects in the pipeline for our three major centres of population.
Here we look at some of the new and ongoing big developments already under construction or likely to be in the coming year. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.
Cardiff
Harlech Court
Work under way at Guildford Crescent to build a tower block
(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
An application for the redevelopment of the Harlech Court site into a 30-storey tower block will soon be made to Cardiff Council but time will tell whether it, or a neighbouring rival, will get the tallest residential building up first. A pre-application consultation on the proposed development closed on November 1 and developers Draycott Group were expected to apply for planning permission for a residential tower with hundreds of apartments and commercial space.
Cardiff Council gave the go-ahead to the demolition of Harlech Court in July. The building in Bute Terrace was home to the popular Porter’s bar and offices. On its website Draycott Group says it will transform Harlech Court into an apartment building of about 350 units. It also says the height of the building will be about 30 storeys.
Bluecastle Capital
A site in the centre of Cardiff was acquired for what could become the tallest building in Wales. The last parcel of land at the mixed-use Central Square scheme was bought by Bluecastle Capital from property development company Rightacres Property in a multi-million-pound deal.
Bluecastle Capital already has planning consent for a 35-storey build-to-rent apartment scheme. When complete the 113m-high block would provide 364 apartments. The tallest habitable building in Wales currently is the 107m-high Meridian Quay block in Swansea. Cardiff’s tallest habitable block is the student accommodation tower known as the Bridge Street exchange which stands at 85m. All of these buildings are smaller than the spire at BT’s Stadium House in Cardiff which is 120m-high but is not usually included in such lists.
One of the world’s biggest batteries
The huge industrial zone in east Cardiff is set to turn into an energy park which will store renewable energy in hundreds of giant batteries
(Image: John Myers)
A vast renewable energy project will add to east Cardiff’s industrial skyline in coming years after being given the go-ahead in October despite objections. The energy park and data centre proposed for the old motocross track off Rover Way in Tremorfa will have a 1,000MW battery storage capacity making it one of the biggest battery storage facilities in the world.
Currently the biggest battery storage facility is in California. The idea behind the Cardiff energy park is to have supply of stored energy, produced from a renewable source like wind power, to help meet growing energy demands in the UK in an environmentally-friendly way.
It will be made up of 828 battery units stored in shipping containers. The data centre will be 25m high and have eight floors with access off Rover Way. Some trees will be lost building the site and council accepts the development “will be big and prominent”, the planning committee was told in October.
Cardiff Indoor Arena
Artist’s impression of how the indoor arena in Cardiff Bay will look
The £250m arena is expected to open in the second half of 2027 and work will start soon. The 15,000-seater indoor arena was confirmed with the signing of a development and funding agreement in August.
Contracts have been exchanged between Cardiff Council, global venue and entertainment operator Live Nation Entertainment, and its partner OVG (Oak View Group), which will operate the arena, and Robertson Property as development partner. The project will be at the heart of the transformation of Atlantic Wharf in Cardiff Bay with a 30-acre mixed-use development. Live Nation will operate the arena under a 45-year lease with Cardiff Council agreed to make a £100m financial contribution towards the project.
It will be located on the existing car park of the Red Dragon Centre site and part of the parking area of Cardiff Council’s headquarters. The development also includes relocation and rebuild of the existing Travelodge hotel.
New £60m school
Construction has begun on the new site in Splott
(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
For years the crumbling Willows High school in Cardiff has needed a re-build and now that work is under way. The new £60m school will near completion in 2025 before opening to pupils in the 2026-27 academic year.
The project sees the existing high school in Tremorfa relocated to Splott and rebuilt to provide space for 900 pupils aged 11 to 16 and a 30-place special resource base for pupils with complex learning needs. The school is being constructed in Lewis Road on the land formerly used for Splott Market.
Artist’s impression of what the new Willows High School will look like
(Image: Atkinsrealis)
The site will include a sports hall, gym, drama studio, and grass pitches which will be available for public use outside of school hours. Morgan Sindall Construction was awarded the contract for the develoment which has been described as a substantial investment in the local area.
Swansea
Five-storey city centre hub
Image of a new public sector hub which has got the green light in Swansea city centre
(Image: Swansea Council)
A five-storey public sector hub will mark a new phase in the redevelopment of Swansea city centre. The ground floor will be commercial space with the upper four floors offices. The building is due to be followed by others featuring shops, restaurants, flats, and parking spaces at the former St David’s shopping centre between Oystermouth Road and St Mary’s Church.
Swansea Council’s planning committee approved plans for the hub on November 5. The hub and the other buildings due to follow are known collectively as the Swansea Central scheme. The scheme is driven by Swansea Council and development partner Urban Splash, which has also been chosen to redevelop the Civic Centre site and five other plots of land in or near the city centre.
Dated flats get a facelift
Dyfatty’s Croft Street flats
(Image: Google)
Dated high-rise flats in Swansea will be modernised inside and out as part of a multi-million-pound council investment. Two 14-storey blocks in Croft Street, Dyfatty, along with two smaller blocks, will be re-clad and have new kitchens, bathrooms, and fire safety systems installed. Work is expected to finish around late in 2025. Additionally 18 new trees are also being planted along with patches of wildflower meadow.
New office and retail development
Image of the new office building at 71/72 Kingsway
(Image: Swansea Council)
Plans are well under way to transform the site of a popular former Swansea nightclub. The 71/72 Kingsway scheme development, part-funded by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal, is being built where the former Oceana, Time and Envy, Ritzy, Icon, and Top Rank nightclubs once stood and will provide space for around 600 jobs. The bulk of the 104,000-square-foot scheme will be made up of offices although there will be some retail units fronting onto The Kingsway as well as a coffee shop.
Newport
US investment
Vishay Newport
American investment is set to create high-skilled jobs with its development in Newport. US tech giant Vishay Intertechnology has confirmed a first phase multi-million-pound investment at its Newport foundry where it has longer-term plans to inject £1bn and create hundreds of new jobs.
Vishay, which acquired the facility from Nexperia in a £150m deal after the UK Government ordered a divestment due to its ultimate Chinese ownership on national interest and security grounds, has confirmed an initial £51m investment.
The funding boost includes £5m from the Welsh Government. Vishay plans for the operation to be transformed into a world-leading plant for compound semiconductor silicon carbide which allow electric cars and wind turbines to convert power more efficiently while enabling speeds up to 100 times faster than traditional chips.
The planned investment would not only protect the existing 490 jobs at the plant but see staffing numbers climbing to 900 jobs by 2030. The jobs are projected to pay 50% more than the region’s average salary rate.
Leisure centre
The demolition of Newport Centre being transformed into a state-of-the-art leisure centre
(Image: John Myers)
Work continues on a huge new city centre leisure centre replacing the well-known Newport Centre. The development, at the riverfront beside the Kingsway, is due to open in 2026.
It will include a swimming pool with slides, a lazy river, and play equipment. There will also be a teaching pool for children’s swimming lessons and exercise sessions, changing facilities, a café, a relaxation area, a fitness suite, and a large active space for community use.
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