A NEW transport hub will be built by Llanelli railway station serving buses, taxis, motorists and cyclists.
It’ll be created from bits of land south of the station where Great Western Crescent, Copperworks Road, Station Road, and Trinity Terrace meet.
The hub – or multimodal interchange, as it’s known – will have bus stops with shelters, a taxi rank, 30 parking spaces, and a one-way internal road layout with defined lanes for the various types of vehicles. Three of the parking spaces will be electric vehicle charging bays.
There’ll also be pedestrian crossings, new and improved pavements and shared-use paths, and 22 bike spaces. Some trees will be cut down but new ones will be planted along with other greenery.
Vehicles will enter the hub from Copperworks Road and exit via Station Road.
Carmarthenshire Council’s planning committee approved the application at a meeting on December 16. Cllr Terry Davies, who represents Llanelli’s Tyisha ward, said it would be an exciting and long-awaited improvement for the area.
Cllr Michael Thomas, whose Pembrey ward to the west is served by the Llanelli line at Pembrey and Burry Port railway station, agreed. He described it as “a really good development”.
The hub scheme has been developed in conjunction with Network Rail and Transport for Wales.
A report before the planning committee said: “At present, the existing arrangement is fragmented and does not function as an integrated interchange.
“The proposal represents a significant opportunity to address long-identified deficiencies in the station area in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.”
The site by the station is located within two types of flood zone and drainage measures will need to be agreed as part of separate legislation. Environment body Natural Resources Wales didn’t object subject to the council’s planning application, subject to the imposition of conditions.
Llanelli town centre is north of the railway station; to the south – by Delta Lakes – is the council’s major new health, life sciences and leisure development called Pentre Awel.
Council planning officers recommended the application for approval. Committee member Cllr Russell Sparks said it was “a wonderful scheme” and, with Christmas in mind, “one more gift for Llanelli from this Plaid-led council”.
