Author: Rhys Gregory

St David’s Hall is to temporarily close to the public to undertake additional checks on the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) panels in the building. The decision has been taken in light of the recent change to advice on RAAC in public buildings issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and following further discussions with the Council’s appointed independent structural engineers, and the council’s insurers. The council has said they have been aware of RAAC in St David’s Hall and the need to manage it from a health and safety viewpoint since 2021, and it has always followed government…

A much-loved former Cardiff pub – the Rompney Castle – could now be saved from the threat of demolition after Cardiff Council stepped in to prevent it being knocked down. The Rompney has been a landmark in the Rumney area of the city since the 1870s and last year a developer’s plan to demolish the building and redevelop the site was rejected by Cardiff Council’s planning department on grounds that the development would result in the loss of an historic building that is of considerable significance to the local community. However, the developer returned in July this year with a…

Tesla have become the dominant EV brand, but they’re facing fresh competition Since the launch of the Tesla Model 3 in 2019 the American manufacturer have become one of the most popular brands not only in the UK but worldwide. Landing on these shores with much anticipation, it could be argued that it was the Model 3’s arrival that really kick-started the EV revolution in the UK. Available on hugely affordable Tesla lease deals, it didn’t take long for them to become one of the best-selling electric cars on the market. Tesla followed that up with the equally successful Model…

First Minister Mark Drakeford today (Thursday, September 7) visited one of the first areas in Wales to trial the new 20mph limit to learn more about the impact of the “biggest step-change in community safety in a generation.” With just 10 days to go before the default 20mph speed limit will be introduced across Wales, the First Minister met business owners, parents and school children in St Brides Major, in the Vale of Glamorgan. Wales will become the first part of the UK to introduce a nationwide 20mph speed limit as most residential roads, which currently have a 30mph speed…

Success! RSPCA Cymru has welcomed news that two additional councils in Wales have banned the giving out of pets as prizes on their land. Bans by Swansea Council and Carmarthenshire County Council have taken the total number of local authorities in Wales who have taken action to 14 out of 22. As part of its #NoFunAtTheFair campaign, the animal welfare charity is calling on the outdated practice to be banned – and has been campaigning for all councils in Wales to introduce their own local bans on their land. So far since its 2023 June launch – 11,351 people have…

An ambitious plan to deliver 10,000 new sustainable homes across South Wales in a decade by the country’s largest social housing provider, Pobl Group, has been boosted by a £100 million sustainability linked loan from Lloyds Bank. Development is planned all along the South Wales M4 corridor, from Newport and Monmouthshire in the east to Swansea and Pembrokeshire in the West. The not-for-profit organisation aims for 95% of the new homes it develops over the next four years to have an EPC B rating or above, while delivering close to 1,000 homes which meet EPC A standards. Pobl Group is…

Work on the redevelopment of Wales’ oldest golf club is nearing completion with new four star guest accommodation and a restaurant due to open at the end of September. Part-funded by a loan of £995,400 from the Development Bank of Wales and a grant of £248,850 from Visit Wales alongside private funding, the £1.7 million investment is set to transform Tenby Golf Club with the creation of a state-of-the-art clubhouse, an extra five dormy style bedrooms for groups of golfers, new ten-bedroom boutique guest accommodation named ‘The Dunes’ and ‘The Links’, a fine dining restaurant that will be headed-up by…

The scheme which provides free school meals for children in Ceredigion has been extended to include Year 5 and 6 pupils from September 2023 onwards. Now, all Foundation Stage Learning and KS2 pupils can take advantage of this scheme, ensuring that Ceredigion are far ahead of the Welsh Government’s timetable to offer free school meals to all primary school pupils by September 2024. Following funding by Welsh Government, Ceredigion County Council introduced the first phase of Free School Meals for pupils in Reception Class, Year 1 and 2 in September 2022, and Year 3 and 4 in April 2023. Councillor…

Two big hitters in the creative industries have joined forces to champion a campaign for an £80 million investment zone to be set up in North East Wales. Liam Evans-Ford, the executive director and chief executive of Theatr Clwyd in Mold and prolific Wrexham-born TV producer Ben Smith, who’s set up Tŷ’r Ddraig (Dragon House), in his home city, say it would “supercharge” the local economy. The drive to create an Investment Zone in Wrexham and Flintshire  is being spearheaded by a new consortium. The  group includes the North Wales Business Council, Wrexham and Flintshire councils, Wrexham University and the…

Thousands of countryside lovers will be flocking to North Wales for a flagship festival of rural pursuits next weekend. The second annual Welsh Game Fair will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday, September 9 and 10, with the Faenol Estate on the outskirts of Bangor providing a spectacular backdrop overlooking the Menai Strait. Last year’s inaugural event attracted 10,000 people from North Wales and all over the UK and the organisers are hoping to double that number this time. As well as celebrating country life, it’s expected it will create a major boost for the North Wales economy with…