Swansea's great food fight

摘要

To hammerson and urban splash the issue is clear-cut: no sophisticated city has a supermarket in the centre.But Tesco, which opened a 45,000 sq ft superstore in Swansea only a few years ago, thinks differently.Something has got to give, because unless the Tesco on the corner of Albert Row and Oystermouth Road - the A road that cuts off the docks from the city centre -is demolished, Swansea will not get 600,000 sq ft of shops, including two department stores, and 1,000 homes.Simon Betty, Hammerson's development executive, says of the contentious 30 acre development site: 'Ourviewis that if Swansea is serious about becoming an attractive and prosperous city, there are more urgent and exciting uses than a large food store. If you have a city centre anchored by a food store, there is not much you can do about making it an exciting, aspirational place.