A former industrial site in Swansea, South Wales, is being earmarked for a major new development after the local council announced it was seeking a developer for the scheme.

Swansea Council is looking to transform the Hafod Copperworks Site, which covers 12 acres (4.9 hectares) of land close to the River Tawe, the Liberty Stadium and the Parc Morfa Retail Park. A hotel, a restaurant and a residential development are among ideas mooted as part of the development, which will also aim to preserve a series of historic buildings and celebrate the site's industrial heritage.

Listed features to be incorporated into the scheme include the Lime Kiln, the Morfa Silverworks Site Stack and the Hafod Copperworks River Quay, along with two large engine houses and their chimneys. Swansea Council head of economic and strategic development Phil Holmes said: "This is an important site both strategically and historically and it's vital any development proposals we receive look to the future while commemorating the area's rich heritage.

"The development of the site would boost broader plans to regenerate the riverfront in Swansea and create a waterside area where people can live, work or visit." Hafod Copperworks first opened in 1810 and was one of the largest of its kind in the world, before closing in 1980.