SWANSEA city centre loses one of its best-known stores today as Marks & Spencer closes its Oxford Street branch for the final time.

The shop, which opened in 1957, has been part of Swansea’s post-war retail story for 69 years and was regarded by many shoppers as one of the city centre’s anchor stores.

The closure affects around 92 staff and leaves a major gap on one of Swansea’s most prominent shopping streets.

M&S said the decision formed part of its wider plan to reshape its store estate and invest in locations that better meet customer needs. The company has said the Swansea store had suffered a sustained decline in sales and that the ageing building would require significant investment.

End of an era

For generations of Swansea shoppers, M&S was more than a shop. It was a meeting point, a reliable food hall, a place for school uniforms, work clothes, Christmas shopping and weekly routines.

Its closure will be seen as another serious blow to traditional city centre retail, following years of changing shopping habits, online competition, out-of-town retail parks and pressure on large high street stores.

Although M&S says it remains committed to serving Swansea customers through nearby stores and online, the loss of the Oxford Street branch means many city centre shoppers — particularly older residents and those relying on buses — will no longer have easy access to a full-line M&S in the heart of the city.

Impact on Swansea

The decision has caused concern about footfall, empty retail units and confidence in Swansea’s main shopping area.

Council leaders had hoped to keep M&S in the city centre and have described the closure as deeply disappointing. The authority is continuing regeneration work in Swansea, including investment around the arena, the city centre and former department store sites, but the loss of M&S is a symbolic setback.

The question now is what happens next to the large Oxford Street building — and whether Swansea can attract a replacement capable of bringing shoppers back into the city centre.

Pic: M&S on Oxford Street, Swansea, closes today after 69 years.

PLANS to diversify a National Trust campsite on the Pembrokeshire coast, with seasonal siting for campervans and ‘landpods’ are expected to be approved by the national park.

In an application recommended for delegated approval at the June meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee, the National Trust seeks permission for a change of use of land for camping, the seasonal siting of five ‘landpods’ and 20 campervans and associated works at Gupton Farm, near Freshwater West.

The application is before the committee rather than being decided by planning officers as it is an application recommended for approval which is a departure from the adopted Local Development Plan 2.

An officer report recommending approval says the site currently operates as an established seasonal campsite under a National Trust exemption certificate.

“The existing campsite has operated for approximately 10 years and currently accommodates seasonal tent camping and a limited number of campervan pitches utilising existing site infrastructure including shower and toilet facilities, sewage treatment infrastructure, access tracks and parking areas.

“The proposal seeks to formalise and diversify the existing operation by allowing greater flexibility in accommodation type and pitch management whilst maintaining the existing overall site capacity of a maximum of 100 people and 50 pitches per night.”

It adds: “The submitted information confirms that the proposal does not seek to increase overall occupancy levels at the site but instead proposes a redistribution of accommodation types through increased campervan provision and the introduction of seasonal landpods. The landpods are proposed as free-standing seasonal structures with no permanent drainage or utility connections and would be removed from the site during December, January and February.”

It says that, while the scheme represents a departure from planning policy “due to the sensitive coastal landscape location,” officers consider “that the seasonal nature of the proposal, the established exempted camping use, the absence of any increase in overall site capacity, the landscape-led design approach and the significant biodiversity and visitor management benefits weigh in favour of the proposal”.

The report adds an original pre-application proposal conflicted in part [with policies] “due to the scale and sensitivity of the site location,” officers advising there could be scope to support “a reduced-scale, clearly seasonal proposal where robust landscape mitigation, ecological enhancement and visitor management justification could be demonstrated”.

It said the submitted application sought to address those concerns; the scheme which incorporates “significant landscape and biodiversity enhancement measures” is “specifically designed as a seasonal and reversible form of development, with the Landpods removed from the site outside the operational season and stored within an existing onsite barn”.

The report later says: “On balance, it is considered that the proposal would not result in unacceptable harm to the special qualities of the National Park and that the material considerations in favour of the proposal outweigh the identified policy tensions in this instance. The principle of the development is therefore considered acceptable subject to appropriate planning conditions.”

It is recommended to delegate conditional approval to officers following the end of a public advertisement period for a policy departure.

A CALL to turn part of Haverfordwest’s former courthouse in the town centre to a theatre is expected to be approved by county planners next week.

At the June meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, members are recommended to approve an application by Mr N Heywood for a change of use of part of the building from a former court room, Shire Hall, High Street, Haverfordwest, to a theatre.

Built in 1835 to the design of local architect, William Owen, the Shire Hall is a listed Grade-II*-listed building, described by CADW as one of the finest of its type in Wales.

According to Haverfordwest Civic Society the court has seen many major trials, its first being that of Rebecca Rioters on several occasions between 1840 and 1844.

When the law courts were relocated to Hawthorn Rise, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire County Council awarded a developer a 999-year lease on a peppercorn rent.

The building housed a couple of restaurants on its upper floors in the early 2000s, with the last of these believed to have closed around 2010.

According to the application, the theatre would: “Bring the vacant building back into a meaningful use, resulting in the preservation of the Grade-II*-Listed Building, and contributing to the enhancement and regeneration of the town centre of Haverfordwest.”

The application states that there would be no change to the exterior of Shire Hall but there would be some internal works.

A related listed building consent application has also been submitted to planners.

The applicant’s agent, Ian Bartlett Planning and Architectural Services, has confirmed the theatre’s opening hours as between 10am and 11pm.

Haverfordwest Town Council supported the scheme in principle but had called for it to be decided by committee, raising concerns in part at a lack of detail in the initial application and concerns about potential harm to the historic building, with Haverfordwest Civic Society taking a similar stance, with members “anxious that any new use should respect and conserve the integrity of the historic courtroom interior, which remains substantially intact, including the judges’ bench, dock, witness box, public benches and associated fittings”.

The application is for committee consideration rather than delegated powers to planning officers following a request by the local member.

An officer report recommending approval says: “As a former courtroom, this use would historically have been characterised by the public assembling within the area via a formalised gathering.

“The proposed use as a theatre would remain broadly compatible with the historic function of the courtroom as a place used for public congregation.

“The proposed use as a theatre would introduce audience-based occupation and periods of intensified use, however, this is not considered inherently dissimilar to the building’s historic use, with any internal alterations subject to the listed building consent application which is currently under consideration.

“In addition, bringing the building into use is likely to contribute positively to the preservation and maintenance of the historic building.”