£9m regeneration boost for Bridgend town centre
A £9m regeneration programme to transform Bridgend town centre has been given the go-ahead following an EU funding boost announced by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Over £7.7m from the Convergence European Regional Development Fund and the Targeted Match Fund has been approved. Together with funding from Bridgend County Borough Council, who will deliver the scheme, and the Heritage Lottery Fund, the town will be given a new lease of life, boosting commercial confidence and creating employment opportunities in the area.
Through the scheme, Court Road - traditionally the gateway into the town centre for visitors arriving by train - Nolton Street South, Merthyr Mawr Road North, Cheapside, Derwen Road and Cross Street will all benefit from improvements. These will vary from location to location but will typically include new street furniture, commercial property upgrades, heritage works and improvements in pedestrian safety, accessibility and traffic management. A regeneration project is already underway in Elder Street, and the new funding will allow it benefit from further improvements and links with the existing pedestrianised area.
Announcing the funding package Business and Budget Minister Jane Hutt said: “Our successful management of EU resources ensures vital schemes such as this can be delivered to bring lasting benefits to people, communities and businesses. This investment will create a better environment and more opportunities which will increase prosperity for those within the town and beyond.”
As part of the scheme, links between developments and the heart of the town centre will also be improved to ensure easier access to local facilities and services.
Deputy Minister for Regeneration Jocelyn Davies: “Improving the physical appearance of a town will increase the confidence of potential investors, support the retail sector and boost the pride of people within the local community who will benefit from an attractive environment in which they can live, work and thrive.”
The funding will build on previous and current regeneration phases in the town centre aimed at improving its physical appearance, retail reputation and overall appeal.
Councillor David Sage, Deputy Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council, said the funding would pave the way for an exciting new era of regeneration for the area’s largest town.
He said: “Bridgend County Borough Council is hugely ambitious for the whole area. We have made good progress in Maesteg and are delighted that our regeneration plans for Porthcawl are pressing ahead with the recent announcement of a preferred developer for the waterfront and a European grant funding approval towards a scheme at the harbour.
“We have achieved a great deal in Bridgend town centre in recent years, and today’s announcement of fresh funding of more than £9m will really help us to accelerate our regeneration projects. We want to create an attractive, thriving town centre environment which preserves the historic past while building a modern future.
“Much of the work will be spent on the physical look of the town centre, preserving and enhancing historic and key buildings and upgrading properties to provide positive and attractive floorspace. But we will also be working alongside local businesses to make Bridgend a destination of choice.”
The town centre regeneration scheme is backed with £7.7m from the Welsh Assembly Government, including £3.2m from the European Regional Development Fund and £4.5m from the Targeted Match Fund. In addition, over £2m of funding will be provided by Bridgend County Borough Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and private sources.
The £3.5bn Structural Funds programmes 2007-2013 in Wales include the Convergence programmes for West Wales and the Valleys (the successor to Objective 1), and the Regional Competitiveness and Employment programmes for East Wales.
The Targeted Match Fund provides capital and revenue funding to organisations from all sectors to support eligible activities under the Structural Funds programmes 2007-2013.
- Last Updated: 26/08/2010
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