The bitter fight over the future of an untouched hill and the £37m adventure attraction planned there
Just over 60 years ago, Swansea’s Kilvey Hill was a barren, toxic wasteland as the result of heavy industries. Children used to play in old mines and return home with blackened clothes. But then, it all changed as locals and government bodies worked tirelessly to bring the green back to Kilvey Hill — a hill that looms over Swansea.
However, campaigners and locals in the area worry this could all soon change as the plan for a multi-million-pound project for an adventure park at the top of the hill gains pace. The proposed project by New Zealand-based Skyline Enterprises has a list of plans for the project including a gondola (cable car) route, a gravity-fuelled Luge ride, zipline, a sky swing, new walking and mountain bike trails, and food and drink outlets
Dr Susan Lyle, a member of the Swansea Climate Action Network and a resident living in the area around the hill, said: “For people who live on the East side of Swansea, that is their main green space, and they’re in the poorest part of Swansea, with many of them having no public transport." For the latest Swansea news, sign up to our newsletter here
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She added: “The children who live in that area are really very poor, and that is really their playground. That's where they go. So unlike what the council says, they can't just get on a bus and go over to Gower or somewhere. I've talked a lot with them at the community centre and they are just devastated at the thought that they won't be able to just freely go up there.”
Skyline Enterprises has repeatedly assured locals that the project will not limit access to the hill. Danny Luke, International Development Manager at Skyline Luge said: “Skyline Swansea will not limit access to the hill at all: free, unhindered access to Kilvey Hill would continue for everyone, and locals would be welcome to continue using the hill for walks, cycles, and as a children’s play area.
“In fact, Skyline is building a brand new, sustainably-designed children’s adventure playground which will be free, accessible, and welcoming for children of all ages to enjoy. This will complement the natural play area the children currently enjoy. We intend to enhance their play area, not take anything away from it.”
The Skyline Project is set to cost about a staggering £40 million and Swansea Council is also considering a £4.1 million loan to hasten the progress. The Welsh government has also previously said that it would invest £4m in the project, with £1m of that sum repayable.
A council spokesperson said: “While Cabinet has approved funding in principle, there is no binding commitment as yet on the council’s part and funding would need to meet certain conditions before any money is potentially paid out. This is not a council scheme. It's led by Skyline and if the scheme goes ahead then the proposed investment by the council would be repaid as part of an agreement with Skyline.
However, the project has faced criticism from within the council, with opposition councillors suggesting that funding towards the project might mean less money for other council projects.
Councillor Stuart Rice of the Uplands Party said: “I do think there are probably projects, which are, you know, are more sort of urgent at the moment in terms of needing public finance, for example, schools, repairing to roads, than investing in this project that, you know, it hasn't got universal support and I'm not sure it will happen.”
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The Uplands Party had earlier tabled a now defeated amendment which, according to Councillor Stuart Rice, would have saved the council £7.2 million. He had proposed using £5m of it for road resurfacing work and the remaining £2.2m on measures to improve energy efficiency and air quality at schools, while stressing that further examination was needed of guarantees that the council would get its planned £4.1m loan repaid in full. The councillor added that if the project was to go ahead, there would be ‘less money available’ for the abovementioned projects.
He said: “I just feel like there’s going to be less money available for them. I mean, in terms of the project, I just feel that there are more priorities. The people at Swansea would rather see the money spent on something else.”
A council spokesperson said: "It’s not true that any potential funding from the council for this scheme would mean less capital money for other council services. Our capital programme is largely funded by borrowing secured at historically low rates, and services like schools and roads are separately funded.”
Councillor Chris Holley of the Liberal Democrats, who has previously served as leader of the council said: “I think it's a very exciting project, but at the end of the day, is it going to be financially viable? I think that's the big issue. The other concern is, you know, the business plan does show hundreds of thousands of people using it per year. It does seem that it's got a much higher user rate than many other establishments similar to that, You've gotta compare it, I think with other visitor attractions in South Wales and they, they don't get anything like that sort of attendance, I guess.
"It's a substantial amount of money, for a project which does seem to be very optimistic about the figures that it's likely to reach. And that is why, to be honest, we feel as an opposition that it is a very difficult proposal to agree to when the numbers seem to be a little bit unrealistic, to be perfectly honest with you.”
The money involved is just a part of the tussle for Kilvey Hill.. The council had earlier advertised and consulted on its intention to dispose of open space land there, which led to 265 objections and two expressions of support. Earlier this month, climate campaigners had set up a camp on the project’s site claiming there was ‘significant opposition’ from the community. Moreover, a survey conducted by the campaigners in surrounding areas of around 300 people found an overwhelming majority against it, according to Dr Susan Lyle.
She said: “I did a lot of the work going around knocking on doors, asking people about it, and there is such a strong sense of ownership of the hill, because it was a wasteland after the industrial revolution, and it was local people over 50 years ago who replanted that hill, obviously in conjunction with the Natural Resources Wales (NRW), which wasn't called that then, but they planted it and looked after it. I had people show me maps of when they were 10, where they planted their trees. And there's such a strong feeling of community there. People feel that it belongs.”
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Councillor Chris Holley added: “I think the concern by the residents about the natural habitat and the damaging of wildlife and what have you on the hill, that also has to be taken into consideration and the visual impact of what will be built there.”
Danny Luke, of Skyline Enterprises, said: “Skyline would love to collaborate with local community groups so they continue to feel as though they’re custodians of the Kilvey Hill as we completely understand that many locals feel a sense of pride and ownership over the area. Our development would only cover approx. 9% of Kilvey Hill – beside the section which is already covered in solar panels - and we intend to keep Kilvey Hill accessible for local environment groups, walkers, mountain bikers, and families.”
He added: “We don’t believe the area should be ‘gatekept’ for a small section of the community: we believe everyone should benefit from access to this stunning natural site. Our accessible gondolas, re-surfaced walking routes and accessible facilities will allow more people than ever before to enjoy a day out at Kilvey Hill.”
Skyline Enterprises Chief Executive Geoff McDonald had earlier said that the hill was a wonderful asset but at the moment there was a ‘very tiny’ part of the population that gets to enjoy it and Skyline would make it for everybody. Dr Susan Lyle disagreed.
She said: “We found over 60 groups – 60 groups that regularly use that hill, local people. People in the rest of Swansea probably don't go there very often because why would they? They've got Gower. But it's the local people that use it and it's local groups that use it. And it's their only place. It's all very well for Skyline to say they would give them discounted tickets for the rides. They really don't want those rides and anyway, even the discounted tickets are beyond the means of most people that live there.”
However, Skyline Enterprises insisted it had consulted with local groups. Mr Luke added: “Skyline went through extensive consultation with local groups in March, 2023, and has continued to keep groups up-to-date through continued conversation. Skyline would continue to welcome these local groups to enjoy the free access to re-surfaced walking trails, enhanced mountain bike routes, children’s play area, as well as the new leisure facilities.”
He reiterated the company’s stance that it believed Kilvey Hill should be opened up for visitors of all ages and abilities to enjoy. To offset the project’s ecological impact, Skyline plans to plant 122 mature trees, plus some 68,000 smaller trees, shrubs and other plants. However, this does not convince campaigners.
Dr Susan Lyle added: "It's a very difficult area to actually plant on. Unless you plant conifers. We don't want more conifers, we've got enough conifers. How the trees that have grown there that are native have emerged from seed, is that they've not been planted. It's going to be very hard to decide where to plant native trees because it's so poisoned. But where the trees have grown, the trees have emerged themselves from seed, you know, the jaybirds plant the seeds.”
However, Skyline Enterprises insisted that it adhered to NRW’s standards. Mr Luke said: “Skyline appointed experts in ecology and environmental conservation, landscape architects plus local suppliers to ensure the species of tree and plant are most suitable for Kilvey Hill.
“As can be currently seen there are a wide range of species currently flourishing on Kilvey Hill and Skyline intends to enhance this through the significant planting plans. All of our proposals adhere to Natural Resources Wales’ strict environmental procedures and legislation.”
But for Dr Susan Lyle, an even greater concern is that the construction of the project would chip away at some of the water retention capabilities of the hill. She said: "I'm also really worried about what's going to happen as flooding increases in Wales because at the moment already, a lot of water comes down, but it absorbs loads because as you know, trees and soil can absorb a lot of the water but it still comes down there. When a lot of that is removed, especially with so much concrete going up there, it's just not going to have the water retaining capacity.
“Flooding at all in this area is increasing all the time. I live in St. Helens Road and twice in the last six weeks have not been able to get out by the Brangwyn because it's been flooded. So. I think we have to be really careful about just taking away the infrastructure which keeps the soil in place and absorbs the water.”
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However, according to Skyline, measures to prevent impact on local waterways are in place. Mr Luke added: “Skyline has recently appointed a Hydrology Consultant to carry out hydrogeological surveys and studies of Kilvey Hill and surrounding area. As part of this work water samples were taken from local residences to ensure Skyline’s development would not impact on locals' water supplies. Residents can rest assured that all measures are being taken to ensure the scheme does not impact on the local waterways and this can be seen in the design of the Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) which encourages creation of new habitats and the replication of the existing natural water flows.”
Dr Susan Lyle, however, remains unconvinced and thinks the project would be a failure: “The council, they are facing the most massive mitigation costs with climate change… they are going to be really struggling just to cope with the mitigation costs of climate change. Them thinking that they're going to make money out of this tourist attraction is pie in the sky. It might have been viable when they first thought of it but the world has changed.”
A council spokesperson said: “No final decisions have been made on the proposed Skyline scheme. A planning application for the scheme will be considered in due course, which will include comprehensive information about ecology and all other aspects of what's being proposed."