Plans to build two blocks of flats at a former council depot in Clydach have been turned down on appeal.
Welsh Government-appointed planning inspector Hywel Wyn Jones said the 46 flats proposed for over 55s off Pontardawe Road would harm the character and appearance of the area.
He also said a proposed new boundary wall would unacceptably affect an existing neighbour, and that the "potential extent of under-provision of on-site parking" would affect the free flow of traffic and jeopardise highway safety.
Mr Jones acknowledged in his report that providing housing for over 55s and removing old buildings at a former council depot were "weighty benefits".
But he concluded: "However, the cumulative harm that I have identified in relation to the main issues outweigh the scheme's benefits."
The application was initially turned down last August by Swansea Council's planning committee, on the advice of planning officers.
Speaking at the 2019 committee meeting, Clydach councillor Paulette Smith said she would like the former council depot to be developed but that she was "disappointed" by what had been proposed.
Councillor Des Thomas said he felt the developer needed to come back "with a far more sympathetic design, and not cram as many flats in".
Speaking on behalf the applicant, planning agent Patrick Moss said the scheme was only viable if 46 units were built given the "very, very expensive" cost of redeveloping the site.
Canter Ltd appealed the committee's decision, and used another planning expert, Moss Naylor Young, to set out its grounds of appeal.
In a submission, Moss Naylor Young said: "The proposed development will deliver 46 high quality retirement apartments near Clydach centre on a site that is currently derelict and is the exact opposite of being an asset to the area."
But the appeal was dismissed.
