The firm behind £10m plans to redevelop Swansea’s Parc Tawe retail park has won an appeal against a 12-year ban from approaching 80 well-known stores.
Hammerson owns the site and was given permission by Swansea council in August 2014 for the revamp with 35 conditions imposed including the ban.
The council said at the time the move was to protect its own plans for the city centre which led to a row.
But the Planning Inspectorate has now said the move was not allowed. It follows a three-day hearing before a Welsh government-appointed inspector in June. The inspector dismissed council claims the plans would damage the “vitality and viability of the city centre” and said it “would not put the regeneration of the St David’s/Quadrant area at significant risk”. It also agreed with Hammerson that a condition restricting the size of individual retail units was unreasonable.
A Swansea council spokesman said the authority was pleased it had secured through the appeal process “a significant degree of control” over future operations at Parc Tawe which would “help protect future investment and regeneration proposals for the city centre’s main shopping area”.
He added: “We now look forward to the developer transforming the site in accordance with the approved plans.”
Last year’s row followed Hammerson’s decision in 2013 to pull out of a £1bn project to revamp the city centre after five years, with council officials unhappy at the lack of progress.
When the firm, which is behind Birmingham’s Bullring and Bristol’s Cabot Circus, submitted plans for Parc Tawe – a gateway to the city centre – it was criticised by the then council leader David Phillips.
He claimed Hammerson showed more energy with its own Parc Tawe development than when it was looking after the city centre – something the firm rejected.
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