BRIDGEND Council has confirmed a regeneration project in one of its towns is still a priority despite claims it had been “kicked into the long grass” and a dispute over if the area was even a town at all.
The discussion came at a Bridgend full council meeting where Cllr Alex Ulberini-Williams asked about the authority’s vision for the regeneration of Pencoed.
During members’ questions Cllr Williams of Pencoed and Penprysg referenced a number of multi-million-pound developments that were going on in Porthcawl, such as the waterfront regeneration, and others in Bridgend town and Maesteg.
However in comparison he described plans for Pencoed as not “exactly earth-shattering” and “bereft” of any kind of vision with only smaller schemes that looked at commercial properties and business start-ups.
He also referenced long-term plans for the Penprysg road bridge and level crossing which he felt had been “well and truly kicked into the long grass”, asking the cabinet what specific town centre projects the administration were planning at the same scale as the borough’s other towns.
Cllr Neelo Farr, cabinet member for regeneration, economic development, and housing, said she understood the member’s frustrations and would look to meet with officers and local members to find out what sort of things they would like to bring as part of regeneration.
However she also added she believed there were three towns in Bridgend, with Pencoed not among the main towns of Porthcawl, Maesteg, and Bridgend, causing visible shock from some members in attendance.
The council’s leader John Spanswick spoke on the mistake, saying: “To be clear there are four towns in Bridgend but not all of the same scale and size and there’s different ambitions for different towns and Pencoed is part of that.”
He went on to say that the Penprysg Road Bridge project, which would see the widening of the bridge and the closure of a level crossing to reduce congestion, was still a massive ambition.
He added he had recently met with a number of local officials and Network Rail to make it clear that it was still on the agenda with more feasibility work needing to be done.
Officers confirmed the project would be a “game-changer” for Pencoed and was still the most important transport infrastructure development in the whole of the county borough.
They also noted it could eventually unlock more opportunities for regeneration and funding in the area including the creation of a town square in Pencoed.
