Author: Rhys Gregory

Work on a major new high-tech office development that will provide space for 600 jobs is set to begin in Swansea city centre this summer. Swansea Council’s Cabinet has agreed to commit funding to the scheme, which is planned for the former Oceana nightclub site at 71/72 The Kingsway. Worth about £32.6 million a year to Swansea’s economy once operational, a five-storey, carbon zero development with state-of-the-art digital connectivity is planned. It will also feature a roof terrace, greenery and balconies overlooking the city centre and Swansea Bay. Set for completion in early 2023, the scheme will include 114,000 square…

Bridgend County Borough Council has received confirmation that Sunnyside House in Bridgend town centre is no longer being considered as a potential site for a women’s offender centre. The Ministry of Justice has informed the council that it is still seeking to establish the Wales Residential Women’s Centre somewhere in the South Wales region. It follows a series of discussions between Bridgend County Borough Council and the HM Prison and Probation Service in Wales and Public Protection Group, during which the local authority has consistently argued that from within a planning context, Bridgend County Borough is not a suitable location…

Following two rounds of consultation, residents of Merthyr Vale and Mount Pleasant have agreed on the installation of average speed cameras on the section of the A4054 Cardiff Road that runs through the villages. In phase one of the consultation, 98% of those surveyed – which included residents and the wider public – agreed there was an issue with speeding traffic along the road, with 80% agreeing that traffic calming measures were necessary. In phase two, 78% agreed with the installation of average speed cameras. Ward Councillors, Darren Roberts and Scott Thomas, said: “Following several accidents and complaints about speeding…

Caerphilly County Borough Council is pleased to announce, in partnership with Welsh Government, the completion of Whitebeam Court; a major construction scheme which brings new business premises to the Ty Du site in Nelson. Ty Du, which lies immediately south of the A472 Nelson bypass, has secured significant public sector and EU funds for a sustainable mixed-use development; including new highways and access infrastructure, provision for 200 homes and 3.8HA of land designed for quality employment floor space. The most recent phase of the scheme has seen 4 high quality employment buildings constructed, comprising a total of 1300 square metres…

Welsh Government and European funding of nearly £4 million is helping two South West Wales businesses expand and future proof their operations, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has announced. Wall Colmonoy Limited (UK) which specialises in the manufacture of high performance alloy metals, will use nearly £150k of Welsh Government support as part of its wider investment in upgrading its casting, manufacturing, engineering and design plant. The investment will help the Pontardawe-based business, which employs more than 200 staff, remain competitively viable and will ensure increased job security, with the improvements in Wall Colmonoy’s castings facility further reducing their footprint on…

North Wales can look ahead to a stronger, greener and fairer future, the First Minister Mark Drakeford said as he visited the region. He visited the the recently-opened Penderyn Distillery in Llandudno as it prepares to open to the public – tours of the distillery are set to begin from June 1. The £5m distillery received £1.4m from the Welsh Government’s Tourism Investment scheme and Food Investment Scheme. He also visited the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in north-east Wales, where he heard more about how the area was investing in a more sustainable future…

The best place to support and watch Wales play football this summer will be the sofa, the local pub or the garden. As Wales’ men’s team prepare to play their first friendly match ahead of the delayed Euro 2020 group stages, the Welsh Government and the Football Association of Wales (FAW) today urged fans to stay at home rather than travelling abroad. Wales play France in a friendly in Nice on Wednesday (2 June) before taking on Switzerland (12 June) and Turkey (16 June) in Baku and Italy (20 June) in Rome during the group stages of the delayed tournament.…

On Tuesday (25 May), a member of the public found the cat in a very bad way and contacted the RSPCA’s Ceredigion Branch for support. The Branch provided funding for the cat to be taken to Castle House Vets in Newcastle Emlyn – where X-Rays revealed a series of bullets to two legs, thought to be from a shotgun. Sadly, with the two right legs so badly damaged, vets decided that the animal needed to be put to sleep to prevent further suffering. The cat was not microchipped – so unfortunately it is unknown whether the cat had an owner,…

RSPCA Cymru was contacted after a member of the public found the five animals at the Cemetery Road allotment in the Vale of Glamorgan town on Monday (24 May). They had taken them to the International Tortoise Association (I.T.A) in Sully, who promptly sounded the alarm to both the Police and the RSPCA. All five are red-foot tortoises, and all were young; aged between two and ten. It is believed all five died at similar times. Red-foot tortoises come from Central and South America, and can grow to more than 30cm, or 12 inches, in length as adults. They can…

A WELSH Ambulance Service paramedic has been left feeling “eternally grateful” to the colleague who saved his life when he choked on his dinner. And what’s more, Gareth Jones, of Tenby, wasn’t even supposed to be working with his saviour, paramedic Hayley Bennett that day. Gareth, 42, and based at Tenby station was part way through his 3pm-3am shift in one of the service’s rapid response cars and had returned to base for his rest break. Hearing that a colleague in Pembroke Dock had called in sick, leaving Hayley to work her overnight 6pm-6am shift alone, Gareth phoned their duty…