Clearance work around the outside of the building has already been completed, which will provide space for the creation of an extension and a courtyard garden, to serve the future café.
The lodge roof has been replaced, and reconstruction of the chimney is underway.
The work is the latest step in the council’s development plans for the park, following on from:
- the construction of the Splash ‘Port water play area
- refurbishment of the central toilet block and changing rooms
- refurbishment of the tennis courts
- improvements to the children’s play area, and
- reconfiguring some elements within the park to help deliver better spaces for all park users.
A lot of the above elements were identified as part of an extensive consultation the council carried out with residents in the summer of 2023 as to what improvements they would like to see made to the leisure offer in the park.
Developing new, fully inclusive café facilities was another element that was popular with those surveyed.
The work, which is being carried out by Willis Construction on behalf of the council, is being funded by the UK government through its Shared Prosperity Fund.
It is hoped that the work on the lodge, and opening of new café facilities, will help further increase the upswing in visitor numbers the park has been seeing in 2025.
In the period from February to August 2025, available visitor data showed that visits were up by 34.9 per cent compared with February to August 2024.
“When we asked our residents back in 2023 what improvements they wanted to see at Tredegar Park, they had some very clear ideas in mind of what they wanted us to achieve,” said Councillor Yvonne Forsey, cabinet member for climate change, waste and recycling with responsibility for parks.
“The work to transform the lodge building is just the latest step we’re taking to deliver on those priorities that our residents set out for us.
“It’s clear from looking at the data that the work we have already done has had a huge impact on visitor numbers. This is particularly the case with Splash ‘Port, which has proved to be a huge hit, drawing in visitors from far and wide to the city.
“We also saw Tredegar Park recognised with a Green Flag award for the first time this year, underlining the significant improvements we have made across the site in recent years.
“The lodge transformation is only going to enhance that, and I can’t wait to see how it progresses.”
