“I was born and brought up in the heart of The Mumbles, trained in the hospitality trade and now direct a number of 'destination' 4 & 5 star hotels. Ignoring those who have chosen to turn this thread into an ill mannered slanging match, many of theprevious comments are right. A spa hotel in The Mumbles will never be a financially viable business option simply because you cannot change the holiday market in the UK back to long stays. As previously mentioned, this is exactly why the Langland Bay et al closed. I agree there does need to be a regeneration plan, one which adresses the parking issue, and then concentrates on attracting the very buoyant and lucrative short break and weekend market. I have been part of creating similar turn around plans in parts of coastal Devon and the Suffolk coast. If you get the mix right it works. Parking and regeneration of dilapidated buildings is key, followed by businesses concentrating on substance over style. If you were to take the model of Southwold in Sufolk you would find great similarities in both accessability,size and having been in the same situation about 10 years ago as Mumbles is now. This is now a vibrant destination attracting every age group and demographic with excellent trade all through the year. They have concentrated on making the entire vllage/town attractive and well kept, encouraged good quality, reasonably priced restaurants and accomodation and pursued weekendand & short break customers as though they were the Holy Grail.
I love my home town and absolutely know it can be beautiful again, but t needs investment of the right kind and a project manager with vision and a deep understanding of how tourism will progress over the next 10 years.”

“What a stupid idea! Why complicate what is already one of the most congested and dangerous areas of the mumbles road with further junctions and more traffic? Trying to negotiate the village is hard enough with selfish motorists abandoning cars where ever they feel like it, peoples inability to indicate at the Newton road roundabout and dangerously narrow pavement. This to me sounds like another step towards complete Mumbles grid-lock!”

“In the 80's, along the Mumbles Road, there used to be some restaurants and cafes you could get a meal in. Now the street seems to be all shabby and dilapidated, what restaurants there are don't even have attractive fronts to attract customers in. Treasure is not as good as it was and Verdi is more oriented to salads and pizzas. Hopefully this piazza will change things.”

“I do wish people posting comments on here would desist from making personal comments and character assassinations. It should be realised that this sort of childish sniping spoils the threads, and is totally unnecessary. Thanks!”

“Valley Boy, yes you are correct Mumbles does need a reasonably priced car park. It is disappointing that car parks in Mumbles have different charges ie 20p difference between Verdis and the Apple car park.”

“If Mumbles wants to increase visitor numbers, and to encourage vistors to spend. Then what Mumbles really needs, is a large reasonably priced, Multi-storey car park !
Trust me, build it and they will come !
I have often been told by friends that they have driven to Mumbles, and been unable to park their car, so drove home. A 4/5 star hotel will never be cost effective and would fail. For those readers who think it would, offer yourselves up as shareholders, and take a mortgage out on your homes for investment money. I would be very surprised if there were any takers. All the seaside resorts along the Bristol Channel, Weston included with its proposed £34 million new Grand Pier, are now just "day out" destinations. Residents need to accept that or be disappointed. The days of staying at Mumbles for a week, or longer, are gone forever, and will never return.
You can either stay as you are, and stagnate, or move with the times. You need to attract as many people as you can, so that they can park their cars easily, and spend money during the short time they are there. It's your future, either encourage visitor numbers, or end up like Burnham-on-Sea.”

“@ Eddie, Uplands, many apologies for my spelling error ¿ sorry! I will whip myself for that.

But you are a venomous little man aren¿t you, very bitter (I can feel the knife digging into my back as I write), and so far off the point.

As for me being a chav with a fake tan; well, Eddie, you couldn¿t be further from the truth. You will probably find that most of the ¿chavs¿ are those who visit for the day (probably from Uplands). They usually wear high heels, and, yes, fake tan. But Eddie, you will find that the ¿locals¿ are usually far more down to earth, usually in trainers/walking boots, jeans and old t-shirts! So sorry to ruin your illusion Eddie.

You stay in the Uplands with all the students, rubbish and parking problems, and leave Mumbles to those who can appreciate her. Must say though that the Uplands has really gone down the pan lately hasn't it. This is a shame as the houses are lovely.

@ Anon, Swansea, you are right the view IS lovely from Townhill. But you must admit that Port Talbot also has a strange kind of beauty as well.”

“Oh Heather - there you go again - confusing money and class as usual.

If you had any class or culture or breeding you wouldn't be so common and vulgar in your bragging about living in Mumbles (it ain't St Tropez baby).

I wouldn't want to live in Mumbles for sure - pretentious, expensive, full of traffic and tourists, not to mention snobby chavs like you. YUK! I'll just drive through it and visit a pub or two, thanks. Then leave the chavs to walk around with their fake tans thinking they look classy. So funny. So deluded...

"the prividedge of living in Mumbles!" You say.

Surely you mean 'the privilege'? It's not a 'ledge' sweetie - that's on a cliff. Have you run out of money to buy a dictionary, or did you never learn to read? Probably the latter then my little chavette...

If you are 'the classier amongst us' Heather, then God help Swansea!

Mumbles does not need a 4 star hotel - it's just a little village/town and nothing special really. Where do you think you are - the Riviera? Why on earth would anyone go to a 4 star spa hotel in the Mumbles? Except you Heather, for your fake tan...”

“You may feel priviledged to live in Mumbles but you do have a lovely view - of the docks and Port Talbot Steel Works. The people on the other side of Swansea especially those in Mayhill and the Uplands have the best view - that of the Mumbles.”

“A lot of people talking a lot of sense here!....and some talking nonsense as usual!!
It should be obvious to anyone with a modicum of intelligence, that any sort of luxury hotel or commercial development in this relatively small seafront area will totally destroy the village and the lovely open aspect that has been enjoyed by visitors and residents alike since the 1960s. And, even if built, would likely fail as a commercial enterprise. Maybe that¿s what the developer, who would then submit plans for exclusive residential use, expects. As an ex-Mumbles resident myself, I understand the depth of feeling against the development and exploitation of the site, and also against the developers.
Mr.Bryan Evans made what he thought was going to be a "killing" with a speculative investment in the square in the late 70s or early 80s I believe, and has been desperately trying to cash-in on his investment ever since with one hare-brained, money-making scheme after another. It must have cost him a fortune over the years in legal fees alone.
This land should be made subject to compulsory purchase by the local authority as a civic amenity area for all to enjoy its position and views over the bay..
As someone has already mentioned, a measly four-star hotel isn't going to do much to enhance Mumbles, or help in its delusions of becoming a fashionable sea-side resort once again....Those days are gone a long time ago and this must be realized by Mumbles residents, the council and developers such as Mr.Evans. There just isn't the space, infrastructure or indeed modern-day attractions to support the idea of being a seaside resort. Mumbles is just too small and on a road to nowhere.
Across the bay, Porthcawl is dying...and this town and its surrounds, has all the space and infrastructure to support masses of holiday makers that Mumbles could never support, but it is on its knees because time moves on and people and their expectations change. I remember the days when there where at least 3 sizable and rather grand hotels in Rotherslade, Langland & Caswell, but they have all shut their doors and have been turned into up-market residential apartments because they couldn't attract sufficient guests or revenue¿this will happen here too if it ever goes ahead.”