Prince Charles officially opened Swansea University’s Bay Campus at the start of this month. He took a tour of the site, talked to staff and students and was shown some of the ‘state of the art ’engineering facilities.
The Bay Campus is a flagship project of the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, which decided in 2009 to turn an abandoned brown-field site (owned by oil company BP) into a centre that would promote engineering and innovation in order to “revitalise the whole region”.
During the visit, the Foundation announced its new Master’s degree course in Sustainable Engineering for
International Development.
David Toman, chief executive of the Foundation, said the campus would not have been built without the vision of Prince Charles. “The Foundation worked tirelessly with Swansea University, Neath Port Talbot Council, BP plc and St Modwen plc to turn a derelict parcel of land into a world-class exemplar of sustainable regeneration that is helping lead to jobs and growth for Wales.”
Peter Mather, BP (head of UK), said: “When BP made the difficult decision to leave the Swansea area, we committed to finding ways to create a long-term legacy. To see our old site turned into a home for engineering is wonderfully fitting. We are delighted to celebrate this success with Swansea University, local government, the Prince’s Foundation and — most importantly — the local community.”