COUNCIL chiefs have authorised work to strip out and refurbish Swansea’s empty Debenhams store prior to occupation by tenants, but were challenged about why the costs weren’t being made public.
Cabinet members noted a report in open session about the revamp planned at the Quadrant Shopping Centre building, which the council bought two years ago, and then considered a report in private session.
Speaking in the open part of the meeting, council leader Rob Stewart said his administration’s plans to “build a better Swansea for everyone” had been impacted by the Covid pandemic and cost-of-living difficulties which, he said, had done “irreparable damage” to high streets everywhere.
He said significant efforts had been made to help keep the Debenhams store open and that when it hadn’t proved possible the council sought to do as much as it could, given that it was part-owner of the Quadrant Shopping Centre.
Cllr Stewart said he was very pleased that three tenants had been secured – two retailers based in a subdivided space on the ground floor and a leisure operator on the floors above.
He said: “This is hugely important in terms of the impact it would have on the city centre – the loss of Debenhams was significant.”
Despite no costs being given, Cllr Stewart said the council was committed to options which offered the best possible value for taxpayers.
Addressing cabinet at the start of the meeting, leader of the opposition, Chris Holley, asked for an explanation about the exclusion of the press and public for the second report on Debenhams.
Cllr Holley said he acknowledged contractual issues but said he felt the time had come for costs to be made public by the Labour administration at an earlier stage than after a project was finished or some time after it had finished, as he said they were currently.
“Why again do we have this particular item ‘in camera’ to give out a total cost?” asked the Swansea Lib-Dem leader. He said this didn’t used to be case, and recalled when he was council leader being “condemned” by the then opposition for not being upfront about the cost of renovating the LC. Cllr Holley said he’d made public that the LC project was costing £25 million.
Cllr Stewart said in the case of Debenhams the authority was still in legal negotiations with the three tenants who, he said, did not want their identities to be made public yet. He said he was sure no councillor would want to jeopardise the situation “by souring a deal that we’ve worked so hard to create”.
The Swansea Labour leader also said not revealing what the council’s budget was for a project protected the interest of the taxpayer as contractors would bid on the basis of the scheme’s requirements rather than a numerical figure.
Cllr Stewart added that it would have been the case that certain information was redacted from reports when CllrHolley led the council.
Cllr Holley accepted what Cllr Stewart said about the timing of making certain information known, and said he hoped there’d be an opportunity to discuss it further. He said he felt “blindly going forward with projects” then telling the public at some stage what they cost “is not a good way forward”.
It is hoped the new Debenhams tenants will move in early next year, and that the taxpayers’ investment in the building will be recovered over the lifetime of the lease.
The council purchased the building for £3.15 million, and in January last year Cllr Stewart said Welsh Government funding of £4.5 million had been provided to date for the acquisition and for refurbishment work.
Andrew Douglas, manager of business group Swansea BID, said: “We’re delighted to see three new businesses moving into the former Debenhams unit – it’s a real vote of confidence in Swansea city centre.
“This kind of investment brings fresh energy and variety to our high street, and it’s exactly what we want to see. These new openings will undoubtedly boost footfall, attract a wider range of visitors, and support the continued growth of surrounding businesses.”
