The restoration and relocation of an historic Swansea church which will stand at the heart of the city's redeveloped waterfront has got under way.

The Norwegian Church, currently sited at the entrance to Port Tawe, is at the centre of a �200m project to turn the 100-acre docks area into an innovation village.

The only effective method of repair is to completely dismantle the building Kevin Sutton, architect

The Grade II Listed building will be taken away piece by piece and restored, before being returned to a new site 300m away overlooking the Prince of Wales Dock.

The rebuild is expected to take until the summer when the church will be placed alongside two other buildings - the J Shed and the red- brick Ice factory - to represent Swansea's rich maritime history.

It is the second time the church has moved - it was orignally transported from Newport to Swansea in 1910.

Kevin Sutton, from Davies Sutton Architecture, will oversee the church's latest transformation.

"It is essentially a very simple, very attractive building," he said.

"We will be restoring it to its original appearance with ornamental felt on the roof together with the addition of a contemporary new porch and wing," he said.

The interior of the church needs a lot of work

Problems faced by Mr Sutton and his team include the rotten wooden structure of the church, the flooring which has disappeared and a spire which is leaning.

"The only effective method of repair is to completely dismantle the building, carry out appropriate repairs and replace components where necessary," said Mr Sutton.

"It will be a slow piecemeal process as we have to carefully dismantle the entire structure.

"But we anticipate it will be reconstructed on its new site by the summer," he added.

Heritage

The Port Tawe Innovation Village is being developed by the Welsh Development Agency in a 10-year project which should be completed in 2012.

The church has been a city landmark for years

The University of Wales Swansea, Swansea council, and Associated British Ports have also been involved in the scheme.

WDA Executive Director Mike King said the three maritime buildings which will be at the centre of the development would all be given new uses.

"They represent an important part of the city's maritime heritage," he said.

"They will provide a strong focus for the new, vibrant waterfront development planned for Port Tawe adding a distinctive element to the architectural mix," he added.