The Welsh Government is providing an additional £31.5m to local authorities to deliver regeneration projects that will transform town centres across Wales.
The funding will be used by nine local authorities to help deliver projects such as Y Storfa in Swansea, the Queen’s Market in Rhyl and the demolition of Newport Leisure Centre.
This extra funding was confirmed by the Welsh Government at the end of the last financial year, bringing the total investment for 2024/25 to an impressive £70m.
Our towns and city centres bring people together, sustain local economies, and underpin communities’ sense of pride, heritage and belonging. The Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Programme is helping to revitalise and breathe new life into these spaces.
Since its launch in 2020, the programme has awarded more than £314m in grant and loan funding to support regeneration across Wales. All 22 local authorities receive funding from the Transforming Towns programme.
The Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, recently visited a number of regeneration projects in Llanelli which have benefitted from Transforming Towns funding.
She said: “Projects like the YMCA or the library in Llanelli town centre are a fantastic example of how Transforming Town funding can be used to bring empty and underused buildings back into active use, revitalising public spaces.
“It’s so important that we continue to create places that serve the needs of local communities while celebrating their unique heritage and character. That way, we can support communities’ future while also championing their past.”
Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture and Tourism – Cllr Hazel Evans said: “We welcome the additional funding being made available to our towns, through the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Programme.
“The funding that we have already received has enabled the County Council to redevelop and deliver more retail sites, housing for local residents and improved facilities in Ammanford, Carmarthen and Llanelli town centres.”
The Welsh Government has protected budgets for the Transforming Towns Programme, with £40 million available for 2025/26.
