Swansea Bay (region)
Encyclopedia
The Swansea Bay area of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 is located north of the sea area of Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay is a bay on the Bristol Channel on the South Wales coast. Places on the bay include Mumbles, Swansea and Port Talbot. The River Neath, River Tawe, River Afan and Blackpill stream flow into the bay....

. The term Swansea Bay is used by the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...

 for policy planning purposes as well as by a number of other organisations.

The boundaries of Swansea Bay are defined in the Welsh Assembly Government's Spatial Plan Data Project. In the Wales Spatial Plan, Swansea Bay includes all of the unitary authorities of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...

 and Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough....

 and parts of Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...

, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...

 and Bridgend county borough. The area is also a Travel to Work Area
Travel to Work Area
A Travel to Work Area or TTWA is a statistical tool used by UK Government agencies and local authorities, especially by the Department for Work and Pensions and Job Centres, to indicate an area where the population would generally commute to a larger town, city or conurbation for the purposes of...

, which was defined in 2007. The Wales Spatial Plan identifies twenty-one key settlements in the area:
  • Swansea
    Swansea
    Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...

  • Carmarthen
    Carmarthen
    Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....

  • Ammanford & Cross Hands
    Cross Hands
    Cross Hands is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales about 12 miles from Carmarthen . It is supposedly named from the practice of prisoners intended for jail in Carmarthen and Swansea being staged for exchange....

  • Llanelli
    Llanelli
    Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...

  • Gorseinon
    Gorseinon
    Gorseinon is a town in southwest Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swansea, around north west of the city centre...

     & Penllergaer
    Penllergaer
    Penllergaer is a village in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK, falling within the Penllergaer ward. Penllergaer is situated about 6 miles north west of Swansea city centre, near the M4 Motorway at Junction 47.-Features:...

  • Pontardawe
    Pontardawe
    Pontardawe is a town of some 5,000 inhabitants in the Swansea Valley in south Wales...

     & Clydach
  • Maesteg
    Maesteg
    Maesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2001, Maesteg had a population of 17,859, but it is now at an estimate of 20,000....

  • Neath
    Neath
    Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...

  • Port Talbot
    Port Talbot
    Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...

  • Porthcawl
    Porthcawl
    Porthcawl is a town on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, 25 miles west of the capital city, Cardiff and 19 miles southeast of Swansea...

     & Pyle
    Pyle
    Pyle is a village and community in Bridgend county borough, Wales. Pyle railway station is on the Cardiff - Swansea section of the London - South Wales main line....

  • Burry Port
    Burry Port
    Burry Port is a small town five miles outside the larger centre of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the Loughor estuary. The town's population is roughly 8,000 although in the 2001 census there were 4209 residents....

     & Pembrey
    Pembrey
    Pembrey is a village in Carmarthenshire Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay.-History:The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre...

  • Dulais Valley
    Dulais Valley
    The Dulais Valley, one of the South Wales Valleys is traversed by the River Dulais in southwest Wales north of the town of Neath.Settlements in the valley include Crynant, Seven Sisters, Banwen and Dyffryn Cellwen which are served by the A4109 road though the valley.The towns in the valley...

  • Glynneath
    Glynneath
    Glynneath , also spelt Glyn Neath, is a small town, community and electoral ward lying on the River Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It was formerly in the historic county of Glamorgan...

     & Resolven
    Resolven
    Resolven is a small village in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is located in the heart of the Vale of Neath.- Location :The village is situated in the Vale of Neath, next to the A465 Heads of Valleys Road, and is the main settlement in the community of Resolven...

  • Gowerton
    Gowerton
    The village of Gowerton is situated about 4 miles north west of Swansea city centre, Wales. Gowerton is often known as the gateway to Gower. Gowerton's original name was Ffosfelin...

     & Waunarlwydd
    Waunarlwydd
    Waunarlwydd is a village near Swansea, Wales, falling within the Cockett ward.A mostly residential area, the pronunciation of Waunarlwydd is approximately like "Wine are Lloyd" in English...

  • Kidwelly
    Kidwelly
    Kidwelly is a town in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, approximately north-west of the main town of Llanelli.It lies on the River Gwendraeth Fach above Carmarthen Bay. The town is twinned with French village St Jacut de la Mer.-History:...

     & Trimsaran
    Trimsaran
    Trimsaran is a former mining village which lies on the B4308 between Llanelli and Kidwelly, in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire.Trimsaran is six miles from Llanelli, and from Carmarthen...

  • Llandeilo
    Llandeilo
    Llandeilo is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th century stone bridge. Its population is 1,731.The town is served by Llandeilo railway station on the Heart of Wales Line.- Early history :...

  • Penclawdd
    Penclawdd
    Penclawdd is a village which is situated in the north of the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, Wales. Penclawdd is most famous for its local cockle industry which goes back for many years to Roman times. It falls within the Penclawdd electoral ward. It is one of the larger villages on the Gower Peninsula...

     & Crofty
  • Pontarddulais
    Pontarddulais
    Pontarddulais is a community and town in the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It is situated north west of Swansea city centre. It falls within the Pontarddulais ward.-Overview:...

  • Upper Afan Valley
    Afan Valley
    The Afan Valley is a valley that encompasses the upper reaches of the River Afan in Port Talbot, South Wales. The valley is traversed by the A4107 Afan Valley Road. Settlements in the area include Cwmafan, Pwyll-y-glaw and Cymer.- External links :**...

    ,
  • Upper Amman Valley
    River Amman
    The River Amman is a river of south Wales, which joins the River Loughor at Pantyffynnon. The river gives its name to the town of Ammanford and the villages of Pontamman, Glanaman, Brynamman and Rhosaman. Garnant and Betws also lie in the Amman Valley....

  • Ystalyfera
    Ystalyfera
    Ystalyfera is a former industrial village in the upper Swansea Valley, on the River Tawe, about north-east of Swansea. It is an electoral ward and a community in the unitary authority of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, comprising a resident population of just over 3,000 people, approximately 60% of whom...

     & Ystradgynlais
    Ystradgynlais
    Ystradgynlais is a town on the River Tawe in south west Powys; it is the second largest town in Powys, Wales. The town grew around the iron-making, coal-mining and watch-making industries....



  • The population in the region as of 2007 is approximately 561,900.

    Development areas

    Welsh Assembly Government supported developments:
    • Baglan Energy Park
    • Coed Darcy
      Coed Darcy
      Coed Darcy is a new village currently being developed adjacent to Llandarcy in Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales.-Historical background:...

    • Crosshands Business Park
    • Felindre
      Felindre
      Felindre is a rural village in south Wales. The village can be found in the far north of Swansea, in the electoral ward of Mawr.The nearby Lower Lliw Reservoirs are a popular venue for walking and fishing. The water mill in the village was working until the late 1960s, there was also an abbatoir...

    • Llanelli Waterside
      Llanelli Waterside
      Llanelli Waterside is the marketing name given to the new suburb development in the coastal strip south west of the town of Llanelli, Wales. The scheme is a joint development between Carmarthenshire County Council and the Welsh Assembly Government...

    • SA1 Swansea Waterfront
      SA1 Swansea Waterfront
      SA1 Swansea Waterfront is the marketing name given to the brownfield development area located in northern part of Swansea Docks. The area is located directly to the southeast of Swansea city centre. It is bordered by the Fabian Way to the north and covers the Prince of Wales Dock area.The...

    • Swansea city centre
      Swansea city centre
      Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Centre; Alexandra Road, High Street, Wind Street and the...

    • Swansea Vale
      Swansea Vale
      Swansea Vale is a mixed used new suburb development site in Swansea, Wales. The area is bounded east by Birchgrove; south by Swansea Enterprise Park, west by the River Tawe and north by the M4 motorway....


    External links

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