Former Swansea bar with controversial dome feature set to be knocked down

A FORMER Swansea bar with a controversial dome on it could be knocked down and turned into flats.

The owner of the vacant City Bar, St Thomas, had a dispute with the council’s planning department about the dome and was told to dismantle it.

The owner has now submitted a pre-application enquiry to the council to replace the building, on the corner of Miers Street and Delhi Street, with a two-storey block of 16 flats, along with 17 parking spaces.

A planning agent on behalf of the owner said redeveloping the site would benefit people living nearby and provide affordable housing for renters and buyers.

Council officers said the proposal was “not considered unacceptable” but that concerns about the parking layout and visibility issues at the access point were such that it wasn’t likely to be approved, if a full planning application were submitted, in its current form.

They added that more details would need to be provided about waste and cycle storage facilities, that three of the 16 flats appeared to be below the minimum size standards, and that some rooms didn’t seem to have any windows.

The glazed dome on City Bar’s rear flat roof was installed in 2015 and then partially rebuilt to better withstand the elements. Planning permission was sought retrospectively for the structure, but the council turned it down, saying it was “incongruous” in a traditional residential area. The authority was also concerned about the impact of its disco lights.

There were petitions in support of and against the dome, which was described as a bespoke function area for customers, but its fate was sealed by a Welsh Government-appointed planning inspector two years ago, who upheld a council enforcement notice requiring it to be dismantled.

Previously, in 2019, the City Bar owners had enquired about converting and extending the premises for accommodation for up to 71 students but the proposal didn’t move further forward.