Author: Rhys Gregory

Penarth has officially launched its awaited Placemaking Plan, marking a major step forward in shaping the town’s future. The launch event, hosted by Penarth Town Council at Turner House, was attended by members of the community along with the Deputy Mayor of Penarth and the Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Both leaders emphasised that the launch marks the start of the next stage of the Placemaking process, with the implementation phase set to begin in October when the Penarth Town Board meets for the first time. From there, Project Teams will be formed to develop initiatives across the…

Work on a series of new business units at Village Farm Industrial Estate are underway and progressing smoothly. The construction work is being undertaken by Andrew Scott Ltd, who are also working on the redevelopment of the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl. The work involves eight 420 sq ft industrial units, which will be completely powered by green energy. Materials have been sourced from sub-contractors from Village Farm Industrial Estate and have been fitted with PV / Solar panels and air source heat pumps to help reduce running costs for the occupiers. They will also have dedicated EV chargers for each…

The Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council has this week approved plans for changing the rules on how Bridgend town centre’s pedestrianised streets can be accessed as part of a new experimental traffic order. Under the proposals, loading and unloading hours will be extended to before 11am and after 4pm, and existing taxi bays on Derwen Road which are currently underused will be converted to establish additional parking spaces for blue badge holders. Subject to a safety assessment, more cycling will be allowed within the pedestrianised area, and arrangements will also be put in place to simplify town centre access…

Cardiff Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council and housing specialist Lovell Partnerships have formally established a partnership to deliver a transformative housing scheme across the region.The first of its kind in recent years with two councils working together with a developer, the collaboration marks a significant milestone in the local authorities’ commitment to providing high-quality, affordable, and market-sale homes for communities in their areas. Marking the formal start of the partnership, after Lovell Partnerships was appointed as preferred bidder to deliver the Cardiff and Vale Housing Partnership earlier this year, Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas and Cabinet Member for…

Swansea Central Library will soon relocate from the Civic Centre to Y Storfa, the city’s new community services hub taking shape at the former BHS unit on Oxford Street. The current Central Library at the Civic Centre will be closed from Monday October 20 to allow staff to prepare for the relocation. The move will include the relocation of more than 60,000 books and thousands of other items like maps and microfilm reels, as well as the setting-up of the library services and spaces at Y Storfa. The new library at Y Storfa will open later this year, with the…

Swansea Magistrates’ Court has imposed a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) on two Port Talbot men preventing them collecting and transporting waste for the next two years after both admitted fly tipping offences. Michael Joseph Quilligan, 22, of Western Avenue, Sandfields and Steven Gilheaney, 26, of Radnor House, Sandfields, were also each given 16-week jail terms suspended for 12 months  and were each ordered to pay £1,465.38 prosecution costs. The magistrates also ordered both men to complete a 15-day Rehabilitation Requirement as directed by the Probation Service and each was given a £154 victim impact surcharge. The CBO was granted following…

Residents in Godreaman are advised about a local flood alleviation scheme, which will get underway next week and require a local trail path closure. Work activity will focus on the Dare Aman trail to the rear of Brynmair Road, plus the area to the rear of numbers 194-196 Brynmair Road. It will reduce the risk of ordinary watercourse flooding, having a knock-on effect of improving the risk along the length of Brynmair Road and the nearby Cwmaman Road – which is a key local transport route. The Council has appointed Hammonds ECS Ltd to deliver the works from Monday, September…

A local butcher has been convicted of selling out of date food products following a visit carried out by Environmental Health Officers from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (MTCBC). Craigs Meat Shack Ltd. running a butchers trading as Craigs Meat Shack out of Unit 10 in Trago Mills, Merthyr Tydfil, was convicted at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on 3rd September 2025 after the company’s Director, Mr Craig Wall, pleaded guilty to seven offences in relation to the sale of unsafe food, contrary to Regulation 4 of The General Food Regulations 2004. The company was fined £3,500 and ordered to pay…

Local housing leaders and Welsh Government officials came together in Ystradgynlais for a high-level meeting that focused on accelerating housing delivery and tackling key challenges across Mid Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Housing Cabinet, chaired by Jane Bryant, Minister for Housing and Local Government, was hosted in Ystradgynlais by Powys County Council and brought together councillors and officers from both Powys and Ceredigion. The meeting provided an opportunity to explore collaborative approaches to increasing the supply of affordable homes, streamlining the delivery of council housing, and addressing homelessness. As part of the day, attendees visited Ael Y Bryn / Pen…

“Good water quality isn’t just an environmental goal. It’s a foundation for a strong, resilient, farming future here in Wales” – Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies. Ahead of the Water Summit at the Pembrokeshire County Showground (Thursday 25 September) the Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies calls for urgent action on water quality. During the Summit, the Deputy First Minister will outline how government, farmers, water companies and environmental groups must work together to clean up Wales’ rivers and coastal waters. The focus of Thursday’s summit will be on tackling agricultural pollution. Welsh…