Author: Rhys Gregory

Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Hannah Blythyn, has today (04 March 2021) announced a £15.2m ‘placemaking’ funding package to help Wales’s town centres build back better. It’s all part of a wider £110m investment through Transforming Towns, the Welsh Government’s town centre regeneration programme, which funds projects for the benefit of local communities in town and city centres in Wales. The new funding package, available to all of Wales’s Local Authorities, is designed to be as flexible as possible and will offer support for a wide range of projects, from green infrastructure developments and the creation of active…

THE landmark Copr Bay bridge over Oystermouth Road is set to be eased into place in a painstaking event overnight this weekend. Oystermouth Road will be closed, and diversions put in place on the night of March 6 in an operation that will lift the 150 metric tonne bridge into place over the main road. A new landmark within the city, the bridge will be pivotal in improving access between the city and the Marina to Swansea’s coastline. It will be a number of months before the pedestrian and cyclist bridge linking the £135m arena and coastal park to the…

A group of determined veterans are on a mission to restore a dilapidated war cemetery in honour of 48 fallen First World War heroes with the help of cash confiscated from criminals. Former soldier Keith Jones, 63, teamed up with six other ex-servicemen to give restore the graveyard at St Peblig Church in Caernarfon that’s been blighted with a overgrown shrubbery, graffiti, litter and even broken headstones. The volunteers, whose ages range from 50 through to 80, set to work in the first national lockdown and have been using their own tools and sheer hard work to cut away brambles…

Ceredigion County Council has engaged Sustrans Cymru to support the review of its Active Travel Network. The outcome of the review will provide Ceredigion County Council with a forward plan of routes that it will use to inform where future improvements to walking and cycling can be made within the County. It will help to make journeys on foot or by bike more accessible and safer for everyone, particularly those who don’t currently walk or cycle often and people who may use mobility aids. As part of this second phase of public engagement, the County Council is seeking feedback on…

The South Wales Law Awards is delighted to announce the judging panel for the 2021 South Wales Law Awards. The South Wales Law Awards has assembled the leading law and commercial experts to form the Independent Judging Panel. They include: Holly Evans – Solicitor & Academic Subject Manager for Law at USW Hannah Menard – Director of the Legal Advice Clinic – USW Karen Jones   – Director of TSR Legal Recruitment Richard Miles – Swansea Building Society – Head of Savings / Area Manager (East) Oliver Pughe – Financial Planner – Penguin Holly Evans – Solicitor & Academic Subject Manager…

Homelessness and rough sleeping in Swansea is being dramatically reduced thanks to ongoing efforts by Swansea Council and partner organisations. More individuals and families at risk of becoming homeless are being supported than ever while rough sleeping is at its lowest level on record. Swansea Council has pledged that anyone who finds themselves at risk of sleeping rough has a place to sleep if they want it. Wrap-around services to prevent people from returning to living rough continue to be expanded and more money is being invested in suitable temporary accommodation. A progress report on Swansea’s Homelessness Strategy has been…

Work by Neath Port Talbot Council to transform the iconic former Metal Box factory in Neath into a business zone for job creation is progressing well with a number of refurbished offices at the site now available to let. Occupied for more than 70 years by the Metal Box factory and known locally as “The Box”, it closed in 2016. With support from the Welsh Government’s targeted regeneration investment programme, Neath Port Talbot Council bought the site in 2019 with the aim of creating hundreds of jobs. The project got a major boost when Sevenoaks Modular purchased approximately 50% of…

Work is under way to remove an invasive plant species at Merthyr Mawr Warren National Nature Reserve to protect the dunes. Two diggers are on site to help clear the non-native sea buckthorn, which has previously been managed with the help of volunteers but has now become widespread. The work has been commissioned by Bridgend County Borough Council under the Dunes 2 Dunes project, which aims to preserve and enhance the sand dune landscapes at Kenfig and Merthyr Mawr Warren. While the council no longer manages the overall site, we continue to be involved in the Dunes 2 Dunes project…

Blackweir Bridge has re-opened following the completion of structural works by Cardiff University, who hold responsibility for maintenance of the bridge over the River Taff, to make it safe. New signage is in place asking people to keep left, follow good hand and respiratory hygiene, and not to stop on the bridge. Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Cllr Peter Bradbury said: “Throughout the pandemic we have done, and will continue to do, all we can to keep Cardiff safe and limit the spread of Covid-19. But we also want to enable people to move safely and easily around the…

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is continuing to support the national roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine, and in partnership with Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, is providing three Covid-19 Community Vaccination Centres, one at Llantrisant Leisure Centre, one at Rhondda Sports Centre, and another at Cynon Valley Indoor Bowls. Following the success of the first phase of vaccine roll-out up to the 14th February, the Council-owned Llantrisant Leisure and Rhondda Sport Centres have been remodelled to help provide facilities for the vaccine roll-out. Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has also stepped up to remodel Cynon Valley Indoor Bowls for use as…