A Swansea parkway, appropriately located to the north of the city, means that people can travel more swiftly east-west within the region and to the east of the region, as well as helping to maintain that all-important land-bridge between Ireland and the rest of the UK and then on to the European Union.

All that alone saves time for travellers who don’t need to go into Swansea itself. It also allays fears about the future of Neath station thrown up by Professor Barry’s schematic. It will also allow residents from parts of Swansea, Gower, Neath Port Talbot and even further afield a more convenient option of using the train to get into the city centre than currently exists, avoiding congestion and particulate pollution in a part of the country that is badly affected by both. This all dovetails strategically into work that Welsh Government is already doing regarding local train stations in Swansea, on which I am more than happy to let Mike Hedges have more than a minute if he wants to, and of course, Chair, if you would be happy to let him do that.

I did my own research on a parkway earlier this year. Of the residents I wrote out to in the north Swansea area, 89 per cent of respondents said that the Swansea bay city deal should include an offer on transport. This is something it doesn't have at present, of course. and when I asked what factors would make them use a Swansea parkway station, 77 per cent of them said avoiding city centre traffic and congestion was a big reason for them using a parkway station. That was followed closely, though, by a parkway to the north of Swansea being more conveniently located for some of them personally than the current stations, which, of course, include: Swansea High Street, Neath, Port Talbot itself, Briton Ferry, Skewen, Llansamlet, and Llanelli.

But a Swansea parkway can do more than just allow residents to gain quick and convenient access to new and existing jobs, because it can also, if done correctly of course, help improve air quality, which has become such a priority for us here in this Chamber. Almost half the residents told me that they would consider using a Swansea parkway if it was supported by bus and active travel networks, demonstrating that a Swansea parkway can play its part in encouraging commuters to ditch their cars altogether if it's done it the right way in the right place.

Thanks to the work of Sustrans and local organisations, we have an integrated sustainable transport network map for Neath Port Talbot and Swansea already, allowing residents and visitors to travel easily from one local authority area to the other. Work to incorporate a Swansea parkway into this would only benefit the region in terms of encouraging people to think differently about how they get from place to place as well as improving the flow of that movement.

The former tinplate works at Felindre just north of Swansea has received millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to develop it into Parc Felindre business park. The land is in public ownership, as you know, some is in the hands of the local authority and some in the hands of Welsh Government, but, over time, as we've heard, this has prompted very little interest until recently and precious little financial return. I’ve raised this before, and you have been pressed on it in recent months, more than once, by Dr Dai Lloyd, so you know what the situation is. We’re looking at around 200 hectares of land situated 7.5 km from the city centre, with a dedicated junction to the M4, and with potential for a railhead facility. That's on Swansea city council's own website confirming that. It is a strategic employment site of regional significance, size and location. And, of course, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, which employs almost 6,000 people from across the travel-to-work area, most of them women, including at higher grades, is just across the road.

The vision for Felindre is for a high-level strategic business park serving south Wales. That is good. We do not want a retail park there. But it’s also adjacent to other publicly owned land of the same size, more or less, and that's earmarked for housing and 20 per cent of which would be for affordable housing, which would be good news for the threatened school at Craigcefnparc, but less attractive than at first sight because of its remoteness from the city centre. A parkway on the doorstep would solve that problem for 200 hectare-worth of housing.

After years of Welsh Government spending money in an attempt to try and attract tenants to the site, we are just now starting to see some interest. The international parcel delivery firm DPD announced their wish to move to the site and bring 130 new jobs to the area. Now, that is welcome, of course it is, but it is not exactly the beginning of an economic furnace sparked by the city deal. The leader of Swansea council is now claiming that there is significant interest from business in the site, and I really hope that he is right as then it’s less of a question about which comes first: investment from businesses in new jobs, or the infrastructure to support them. Myself, I think, either way, a parkway would help people reach those new jobs from within the city and outside in a way that doesn't clog up the motorway junctions to the north and west of Swansea, and certainly doesn't clog the main arterial routes in and out of that particular area. We all know what the M4 is like first thing in the morning, don't we, gentlemen?

Other parts of Wales have already seen significant investment in Wales from private businesses, thanks to work by both our Governments. In Deeside, Toyota announced they'll be building their new Auris and securing 3,000 jobs there. CAF are building trains in Newport, investing £30 million and creating 300 jobs. Aon are opening a new financial services office in Cardiff later this year. There's a whole string of these, but my constituents really want a piece of that action, through the council’s own plans for the city, the city deal itself and the work done by both our Governments. Residents have already said that they like the idea. Investors will expect easy accessibility to the city region. And I think a Swansea parkway is the missing selling point.

It would show investors that the Swansea bay city deal has a fully joined-up approach that would allow the research and innovation taking place across the region, at those 11 project sites, to be fully capitalised upon by businesses big and small. It would allow residents from across the region to start or end their journeys easily and quickly without adding to the congestion, while, at the same time, helping to reduce congestion and improve air quality at all the hot points, if you like. Part of the answer to that, of course, is what Mike Hedges is likely to be talking about in a few minutes, and the decision on investment in a Swansea parkway, of course, is ultimately one for the UK Government, but it needs support from Welsh Government, I think, to create—what can I say? Well, let's create that confidence that I was speaking about earlier on in the presentation. To have a joint understanding between Governments on where that investment is needed and how it can be supported, I think, is crucial to the Swansea bay city deal reaching its full potential.

Now, in March this year, Cabinet Secretary, you told the Assembly—and I'm quoting—that

'Welsh Government is making numerous demands of UK Government in terms of improvement of passenger services, and improvements to journey times'. 

Quite rightly. A Swansea parkway could be the answer to some of the things that you’re looking for. In May, you added that a Swansea parkway

'should be taken forward at pace.'

And I would like to think that you remain of that view. I hope, with those comments in mind, you are able to confirm that Welsh Government will be joining my constituents, and, I hope, other AMs, in the push for the Swansea parkway station that the city region needs. Because, let's just think of the gain, if you continue to let the train take the strain. Thank you.