Fforestfach
Encyclopedia
Fforestfach is a suburban district of Swansea
, Wales
. It lies within the Cockett ward
. The area is residential combined with light industry
and out of town shopping
due to its proximity to the M4 motorway
and several dual carriageways. Famous names like Marks and Spencer and Walkers Crisps had factories in the area but they have now ceased their operations here. Local amenities include the premises of the City of Swansea Gymnastic
Club.
Fforestfach is home to an out of town shopping complex centred around Pontarddulais Road in the Cadle
area to the west. Out of town shopping complexes such as Parc Fforestfach in the west of Swansea have been blamed for the continued decline of the City Centre. Paradoxically in November 2006 a new Park and Ride scheme was introduced in Fforestfach to ferry shoppers into the heart of Swansea city centre
.
Extra store at Parc Fforestfach had a gross floorspace of 112000 sq ft (10,405.1 m²) in 2003 (and has since been expanded) making it the largest in Wales.
One visitor attraction at the site is a chocolate
factory aptly named "The Chocolate Factory". It has guides and exhibits showing the process of making chocolate.
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...
, 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...
. It lies within the Cockett ward
Cockett (electoral ward)
Cockett is the name of an electoral ward and a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community does not have a community council....
. The area is residential combined with light industry
Light industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
and out of town shopping
Retail park
In the United Kingdom, a retail park is a grouping of many retail warehouses and superstores with associated car parking. Its North American equivalent is a power centre. Retail parks are found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in highly accessible locations and are aimed at households...
due to its proximity to the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
and several dual carriageways. Famous names like Marks and Spencer and Walkers Crisps had factories in the area but they have now ceased their operations here. Local amenities include the premises of the City of Swansea Gymnastic
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
Club.
Retail parks
Cadle
Cadle is a village in the City and County of Swansea, Wales near Fforestfach. It now forms part of the built-up area in and around Fforestfach....
area to the west. Out of town shopping complexes such as Parc Fforestfach in the west of Swansea have been blamed for the continued decline of the City Centre. Paradoxically in November 2006 a new Park and Ride scheme was introduced in Fforestfach to ferry shoppers into the heart of 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...
.
Pontarddulais Road Retail Park
The shopping area to the northeast of Pontarddulais Road has existed since the 1970s and is now called "Pontarddulais Road Retail Park".Parc Fforestfach
The area to the southwest of Carmarthen Road/Pontarddulais Road, called Parc Fforest-Fach, developed in the early 2000s. It suffers from parking problems during peak hours. The TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
Extra store at Parc Fforestfach had a gross floorspace of 112000 sq ft (10,405.1 m²) in 2003 (and has since been expanded) making it the largest in Wales.
Swansea West Business Park
Swansea West Business Park is the largest post-war industrial estate in Swansea. It is the location of 140 businesses employing 1,500 people. There was once a greyhound stadium based at the site, which is now closed and earmarked for re-development.One visitor attraction at the site is a chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
factory aptly named "The Chocolate Factory". It has guides and exhibits showing the process of making chocolate.
Listed buildings
Grade II listed buildings in Fforestfach include:- Capel Bethlehem including attached Vestry Block on Carmarthen Road
- Carmarthen Road War Memorial
- Walker Snack Food Factory on Pontarddulais Road