Residents have begun sharing their vision for a key future target for regeneration in Caerphilly town centre.
The Caerphilly Town 2035 team are running a series of summer engagement activities seeking the thoughts, experiences, and ideas for the future of the upper Cardiff Road area of Caerphilly known as the “Top of Town”: from the train station to the Twyn.
The Festival of Ideas will see a series of events happen throughout the town across the coming weeks, where people of all ages and backgrounds will be encouraged to share their thoughts to inform future development of the area, culminating in a public finale on September 6.
The Festival of Ideas began in early August with an event organised in partnership with Valley Daffodils, a charity for individuals with all disabilities and additional learning needs and their families.
As the placemaking plan progresses, ensuring that Caerphilly truly serves the needs of the community who live, work, and visit the town is a key priority. The Festival of Ideas is designed to achieve targeted engagement with key communities from hard-to-reach groups to young people and families.
The Festival of Ideas will reach its finale on September 6 with a public event in Y Banc and Windsor and Stockland Square. Residents and visitors are invited to come and have their say on the future of Caerphilly Town through a series of activities and interactive workshops.
Ceri, founder and chairperson of Valley Daffodils, said:
“It’s really encouraging – and important – to see inclusivity built into the plans for Caerphilly Town 2035.
“Census data indicates that Caerphilly has one of the highest proportions of disabled adults in Wales. This makes it even more important that this demographic is consulted and included in any plans that will affect the day-to-day of all who live in, work in, and visit Caerphilly.
“Valley Daffodils have been really grateful to be involved at various stages of the community engagement work done behind the scenes of the placemaking plan, and we’re really excited to see how the town evolves as a result of the Festival of Ideas.”
A Caerphilly County Borough Council spokesperson said: “The Caerphilly Town 2035 plan has been bringing ambitious revitalisation to make Caerphilly the very best place to live, work, and visit it possibly can.
“With the opening of the container market Ffos Caerffili and the ongoing regeneration of Caerphilly Castle, we are already delivering much-needed change informed by the needs and wants of residents.
“To build on our success further, we are once again asking for your input to create the Caerphilly you want to see.”
