PLANS to demolish a former seafront pub in Porthcawl have been submitted to the local council, it has been revealed.
The well known Buccaneer pub, which traded in the town of Porthcawl for decades before it was closed in April of 2024, was considered by many as a social hub for the area in its heyday.
Based in a building which first opened in the 1930s, it was previously described as a “spit and sawdust pub” that hosted popular live music on weekends with a jukebox and pool table inside, and charging only £3 for a pint.
However, a notice was posted at the beginning of October, 2024, of plans to demolish the former pub in Mackworth Street which was once a centre of night-life and entertainment in the area.
While it is not yet clear what will become of the site in the future, the application comes just months after the closure of the Buccaneer Complex, which as well as the pub contained a surf shop and kebab shop, as well as tenants living in adjoining bungalows who were forced to leave.
It also comes after the announcement that one of the town’s most iconic destinations, Coney Beach amusement park, based just metres away along the front, will close in the next two years to make way for a regeneration scheme lead by Bridgend Council.
This major regeneration scheme is set to include a number of alterations to both the roads and layouts of the well-known tourist destination over the coming years, as well the creation of about 900 new homes, a school, and a road system through Griffin Park.
Speaking on the plans for the Buccaneer, town councillor Brian Jones said: “It is sad to think of the demolition from a nostalgic sense as it has been very good for the town over the years. However with the building coming to the end of its life it all depends on what they replace it with now, and we hope that will be something that draws tourism in to Porthcawl.”
