THE FORMER coastguard station at Bracelet Bay is up for sale and deep pockets may come in handy.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency-owned (MCA) building is being marketed at £1.5 million-plus and needs to be made watertight and renovated.
Perched on Tutt Head, the views across the Bristol Channel really are spectacular and it is a stone’s throw from Mumbles.
For decades the building was a maritime rescue and co-ordination centre before being closed in 2015 as part of a shake-up of the national rescue network. It did however continue to be used for administration and training but that work has ceased.
Five years ago the MCA explored different uses for the site – including a hotel, food and drink, residential, a care home, and offices – in what’s known as a pre-application enquiry to Swansea Council.
Planning officers said any potential redevelopment would need to avoid a significant impact on the landscape or seascape given its location in the Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). They said there was potential though for a new tourism facility to enhance the area as a year-round destination.
The exposed site has always been in the firing line of Atlantic storms but it took thieves to badly damage the roof in 2021 by stripping large quantities of lead from it. A new heating system will also have to be installed.
Mumbles councillor Will Thomas said he would like the building to create jobs, attract visitors and benefit people in the area. “I really don’t want it to be a house – I think it would show a lack of ambition,” he said.
According to Cllr Thomas, a local volunteer group had approached the MCA and the council around a year ago with a proposal to create an education, local history venue and restaurant there. “I think that would be great,” he said.
The land on which the building sits is owned by Swansea Council, and the sales brochure by estate agents Fine & Country cited a 250-year lease and peppercorn annual rent. It added there was potential for residential use, subject to planning approval.
A spokeswoman for the MCA said the sale of the former maritime and rescue co-ordination centre would ensure the site did not remain vacant and unused.
A council spokesman said: “We look forward to seeing how any new owner plans to regenerate this property, currently owned by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Any plans will be subject to the formal planning process.”
