Author: Rhys Gregory

Wales’s leading alternative network provider – Ogi – has revealed plans to bring it’s bespoke full fibre network to Cardiff in a multi-million-pound bandwidth boost to the Welsh capital’s business offering. Work beginning this month [March 2023] will bring the UK’s fastest-capable full fibre broadband technology to parts of the city that have seen significant growth in recent years. Offering symmetrical speeds of 10Gbps and higher, this new dedicated full fibre capability will bring ultrafast and reliable connectivity to businesses across the city without the need for expensive leased lines. For decades, companies in the city have had to rely…

Siderise Insulation have opened a new £1million innovation centre at their Maesteg site which reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to the county borough as well as creating more employment opportunities for local residents. The business first moved to Maesteg in 1991 and the new centre was recently opened by First Minister Mark Drakeford. Siderise have a global presence in the design, manufacture and supply of fire protection solutions which help to deliver safer buildings all over the world. Their purpose-built facilities feature a specialist fire test furnace, which will help to put Bridgend County Borough on the world stage as…

More of Cardiff’s green spaces are to become wildflower meadows, providing important sources of food and habitat for pollinators, like bees and butterflies. An additional 110 hectares of nature-friendly green space, where the grass is not mown until September have been proposed by Cardiff Council this year. Mowing these areas once a year allows wild plants and flowers to bloom all spring and summer, and gradually over time, wildflower meadows to flourish. In total, the proposals will see 197.7 hectares, an area the equivalent in size of 439 football pitches managed under this more relaxed mowing regime – an increase…

A woman from Banwen ended up paying £387.52 after her dog was seen fouling an area of grass by two Neath Port Talbot Council enforcement officers who had been patrolling in a van. At Swansea Magistrates’ Court on March 23rd 2023, the owner of a small white dog, Stacey Richards, 37, of Roman Road, Banwen, was fined £40 after admitting an offence under The Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996. Miss Richards was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £16 and costs of £331.52. The court heard the incident happened on August 22nd, 2022, when the dog was…

A major flood alleviation scheme has now been completed in Abercwmboi with substantial Welsh Government funding. The finished work has reduced the risk of flooding to properties along the main road at Bronallt Terrace. The Council secured funding last year to deliver the Upper Bronallt Flood Alleviation Scheme in 2022/23. It used Welsh Government funding that was available for schemes to protect local communities from the risk of flooding. The Council and sub-contractor Hammonds Ltd started works last summer. The scheme took place off the unnamed road (parallel to the B4275) near Pit Cottages. The scheme was constructed at a…

RCT Cabinet Members have agreed a £27.665m Capital Programme for Highways, Transportation and Strategic Projects in 2023/24 – continuing the Council’s significant investment in these priority areas into the next financial year. Cabinet approved the programme at their meeting on Monday, March 27, making capital allocations of £10.725m (Highways Technical Services) and £16.940m (Strategic Projects) for the financial year starting April 1, 2023. The funding will help maintain, repair, improve and future-proof Rhondda Cynon Taf’s highway and transportation network, with targeted investment to respond to people’s changing travel demands and the effects of Climate Change. The programme complements major external…

Caerphilly Council is exploring ways to boost recycling rates and create a greener county borough for all as part of an ambitious waste and recycling strategy for the future. Local authorities are required to meet strict Welsh Government recycling targets and Caerphilly is working hard to ensure it reaches the current target of 70%, as well as even higher rates announced for the coming years. Leader of council, Cllr. Sean Morgan said, “We need to be bold and ambitious in our revised approach to improve current recycling performance as we are not meeting the 70% rate. The world is facing…

Cllr Shayne Cook, Cabinet Member for Housing was joined by Leader of Council, Cllr Sean Morgan and local ward Councillors, Colin Gordon, Mike Adams, Pat Cook and other members of Caerphilly County Borough Council in touring the Chartist Garden Village development in Pontllanfraith, with leading developer Lovell and its partner Pobl Group. Chartist Garden Village is a design and build scheme being delivered by Lovell on the former council office site, consisting of 123 properties, including 40 one, two, three and four-bedroom homes for open market sale, 40 affordable shared ownership homes and 43 affordable homes for rent. The development…

Llangattock Litter Pickers and staff from Powys County Council and Monmouthshire County Council came together on Thursday (23 March) for a community clean up the local area as part of Keep Wales Tidy’s Spring Clean Cymru campaign. Working together, a team of 17 volunteers removed over 20 bags of litter and recycling from in and around Llangattock, a beautiful area on the Powys and Monmouthshire border. They were joined by Keep Wales Tidy Chief Executive Owen Derbyshire, who is traveling across the country to carry out clean-ups every day during this year’s Spring Clean Cymru (17 March to 2…

At the Growing Mid Wales Board meeting held on 28 March, key documents have been approved, moving the Mid Wales Growth Deal a step closer to unlocking £110m combined funding from both the UK and Welsh Government. The updated Strategic Portfolio Business Case, which is the overarching document detailing how the Growth Deal Portfolio will be delivered and meet its objectives, will now be submitted to both Governments along with vital supporting documents so that they can consider issuing the first tranche of funding for the Mid Wales Growth Deal. Part of this process has included an independent assurance review…