Author: Rhys Gregory

The redevelopment of Porthcawl’s much-loved theatre, the Grand Pavilion is moving a step closer, with residents invited to have a final say on the proposed plans before they are submitted to the local authority for formal planning. Bridgend County Borough Council and its partners at Awen Cultural Trust were awarded £18m Levelling Up Funding from the UK Government, following a successful application by the council working in close partnership with Awen Cultural Trust. The redevelopment of the Grand Pavilion represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to safeguard this iconic building for many years to come and ensure it retains its position as…

A new mural inspired by Cardiff’s musical heritage and designed by Unify Creative, the artists behind the ‘Butetown Mona Lisa,’ has appeared in a Cardiff city centre underpass that runs beneath Boulevard de Nantes, connecting Kingsway with the Civic Centre. A second mural by Wall-Op Murals, inspired by the city’s history and the works of William Burges at Cardiff Castle, has been installed in the former Glamorganshire Canal Tunnel that runs underneath Kingsway. The murals have been commissioned by Cardiff Community Safety Partnership, made up of Cardiff Council, South Wales Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner and other key statutory…

Santa will return to Swansea this year for his traditional parade that heralds the start of the festive season. The FREE city centre procession, organised by Swansea Council, will take place on Sunday 19 November – five weeks before the big day itself. The parade will set off from Victoria Road at around 5pm before making its way through the city centre to The Kingsway. Santa will be performing the city centre Christmas lights switch-on; one from Castle Square and another from outside the Dragon Hotel on the Kingsway. Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: “Christmas is one of the most important…

Neath Port Talbot Council Leader, Cllr Steve Hunt, expressed his views at the authority’s monthly meeting on October 4th, 2023, on the UK Government’s deal with Tata Steel UK to decarbonise its Port Talbot plant and the Welsh Government’s controversial 20 mph speed limit. On the Tata Steel deal, he said: “On 15th September, Tata and the UK Government jointly announced proposed investment in the company’s plant at Port Talbot. “The proposal would see half a billion pounds invested by the UK Government with Tata providing a further £750m. The investment would fund the replacement of the existing blast furnaces…

Neath Port Talbot Council has announced it is in detailed discussions with major home, garden and leisure retailer The Range about taking over the lease of the vacant former Neath town centre Wilko store. Last month it was announced Wilko stores would disappear from UK high streets after a rescue deal for the chain fell through. The Range is a successful, multi-channel retailer selling products in the home, garden, DIY and leisure categories, with more than 210 stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Steve Hunt, has welcomed the news. Speaking on Friday, October…

RCT Council has confirmed the arrangements to lift the new Llanharan railway footbridge into position – requiring a single overnight road closure at Bridgend Road next Saturday evening (October 14) into Sunday morning. The damaged footbridge adjacent to the railway bridge has previously been demolished, and its replacement structure has been constructed away from the works site. The operation to install the footbridge will take place between 8pm on Saturday, October 14, and 8am on Sunday, October 15. A large crane will lift the footbridge into position, although this activity is highly-dependent upon appropriate weather conditions to safely proceed. If…

Newport City Council has announced that its new three-weekly bin collection schedule will start being rolled out to households across the city from Monday 16 October. The new schedule will see household rubbish bins and garden waste bins be collected once every three weeks. Currently these are collected once every two weeks. Residents will shortly receive the following information through the post: a letter informing them that the changes are about to start a leaflet explaining what the changes mean and why they are being introduced All households will continue to have their waste and recycling collected on the day…

A south Wales operator for Ffos Caerffili has been revealed by Caerphilly Council. Brigadoon Ffos Ltd, the team behind Corporation Yard (Canton, Cardiff), Tramshed, and Mountain Ash Town Hall, will bring their expertise to the highly anticipated new market development. Following discussions with prospective traders, who are gearing up for the busy festive period, Brigadoon Ffos Ltd and the council have made a collective decision to open Ffos Caerffili in January 2024. The site, which is due for completion in November will house a total of 28 traders, including food and beverage, goods and services providers, and versatile office and…

The Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, visited the former Monwel Hankinson factory, Ebbw Vale to see first hand the future High Value Engineering (HiVE) facility. Mr. Davies, along with contractors ISG, Blaenau Gwent County Councillor John Morgan, Alun Davies MS for Blaenau Gwent and Coleg Gwent Vice Principal Nikki Gamlin, toured the site where the construction of a new multi-million-pound hi-tech education facility is underway. The new 21,808-square-foot facility will offer high-tech training and education for young people and businesses in robotics, and advanced manufacturing in fields such as automotive, aerospace, and information technology. In partnership with…

Work continues on the development of Monmouthshire County Council’s brand new care home in Portskewett that will open its doors in March 2024 to provide long-term support for people living with dementia and also short-term support in the form of respite. Severn View Park Care Home brings a bespoke environmental design based upon best practice standards for people with dementia and a relationship centred model of care. The new innovative and inclusive 32-bedroom care home is being constructed by Lovell’s and funded in a partnership of Monmouthshire County Council, Welsh Government via Gwent Regional Partnership and Aneurin Bevan University Health…