Lido swimming pool and all-new funfair rides planned for Porthcawl as council reveals final regeneration proposals
Tuesday 04 November 2025
- Lido swimming pool and gym among new additions to regeneration plans
- New funfair rides to create iconic seafront landmarks and celebrate Porthcawl’s heritage
- Building heights reduced and fewer homes planned across the regeneration area
- Fresh seafront look includes space for hotel and new promenade for Coney Beach / Sandy Bay
- 45 per cent more public open space, community facilities and routes for walking and cycling
- Local people prioritised for housing, commitment to restrictions on holiday lets / second homes
- Public invited to view plans at the Hi Tide on 25 November 2025 or at www.porthcawlwaterfront.co.uk
Proposals for creating an outdoor Lido swimming pool and all-new funfair rides to act as iconic new seafront landmarks have been revealed as part of the final regeneration masterplan for the Porthcawl Waterfront area.
Produced by Bridgend County Borough Council in partnership with Welsh Government, the masterplan seeks to provide the right balance between leisure, tourism, housing and business requirements within Porthcawl while prioritising the needs of local people and other stakeholders.
Developed following years of research, market engagement, technical studies and extensive public consultation, it features a wide range of ideas for facilities and attractions across the 38 hectare site, the majority of which have been directly suggested by local residents.
Among the ideas under development are plans that could include a splash pad, mini golf, a pump track, a multi-use games area, pocket parks, fitness trails, community gardens and children’s play areas, all linked by a network of paths and routes that are suitable for pedestrians and cyclists.
With opportunities for new shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and kiosks spread throughout the regeneration area, the masterplan also features a new coastal park, buildings and pavilions that can be used by community groups, a site for motorhomes and touring caravans, and plenty of open space suitable for hosting seasonal fairs, markets, festivals and events.
With Sandy Bay now under public ownership, the masterplan encourages using the beach and adjoining land for new events, and there has already been substantial interest in setting up activities ranging from surf schools and saunas to beach-based fitness training, outdoor yoga classes and more. The plan also ensures that the nearby dune habitats at Rhych Point are carefully managed and restored so that the land can be used for educational and recreational purposes.
The Lido swimming pool would be located at Salt Lake opposite the marina where it would incorporate a gym, a restaurant, a café and other related facilities. The funfair rides would form part of a new site located at the opposite end of Salt Lake, close to the Aldi food store, which would offer new public events space.
With new equipment and facilities to help make it a hub for community events and sports activities, Griffin Park will treble in size under the plan and gain a new ‘green corridor’ equipped with new features. This will loop back to the seafront where stepped coastal defences will be installed as part of a new promenade to provide enhanced protection as well as improved access to Coney Beach and Sandy Bay.
In direct response to feedback from residents, the housing element of the masterplan has been reduced to approximately 980 homes, and prevailing building heights have been lowered by 20 per cent across so that structures which were originally 5-6 storeys high will now be no taller than 3-4.
With ambitions for up to 50 per cent of the housing to be affordable and feature a mix of tenures including shared and low-cost ownership, the council intends to prioritise local people for the housing and to impose limits on the future use of residential units with restrictions that will prevent most from being used as holiday lets or second homes.
Car parking has also been accounted for following extensive research carried out over a period of four years. Parking sites including a refurbished open air car park at Hillsboro and a new public car park at Coney Beach will be established to cope with regular demand, and the council is in the process of identifying a site for an overflow car park to cater for occasions when visitor levels are at their peak.
“The final Porthcawl Waterfront Regeneration masterplan represents a hugely significant piece of work which has been many years in the making. “While complementing other local developments such as the ongoing multi-million refurbishment of the Grand Pavilion, it reflects our determination to strike the right balance between housing and community facilities, tourism and leisure, opportunities for enabling new businesses to thrive and more. “Delivering on its objectives will be a long-term process which will require planning consent, appropriate funding and delivery partners, but huge emphasis has been placed on making sure it remains both credible and realistic. The masterplan demonstrates the scope of our ambitions for Porthcawl, and our desire to work with residents to regenerate the town, prioritise local homes for local people, and deliver a future that they can believe in.”
“In designing the final masterplan, we have delivered on our promise to listen to local people and reflect what they want to see while also ensuring that the proposals remain realistic, achievable and deliverable. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this process as well as our regeneration partners at Welsh Government. “I hope that people will take some time to study the masterplan and the responses to frequently asked questions that we have prepared before coming along to the public event and giving us their views. With 10 consultations held in the last five years alone, public engagement has proven to be a cornerstone of how this plan has developed, and I believe that together, we will deliver a future in which Porthcawl can develop and evolve to become the premier tourist destination in South Wales while also remaining a place to live and work.”
“This masterplan marks a bold and exciting step forward for Porthcawl, reimagining the seafront to deliver over 900 homes and new attractions that celebrate the town’s heritage. “By placing local people at the heart of regeneration, we are not only protecting the town’s unique character but also unlocking its full potential as a vibrant and welcoming place to live, work and visit. “The Welsh Government is proud to support Bridgend County Borough Council in delivering a future that balances homes, heritage, and opportunity.”
Frequently Asked Questions
- Yes – the masterplan has been built off the back of extensive public engagement, feedback and studies carried out over a number of years.
- Almost 1,000 people attended the most recent masterplan consultation to view plans, offer opinions and ask questions, and we also received online or direct feedback from more than 400 people.
- In the last five years alone, we have held 10 separate public consultations on regeneration proposals.
- Feedback from people of all ages and backgrounds has been analysed and fed back into the updated plan.
- The final masterplan reflects the views and needs of residents while remaining realistic, achievable and capable of delivering a long-term sustainable future for Porthcawl.
- We want Porthcawl to evolve, not stagnate and stand still. The masterplan demonstrates our hopes, aspirations and ambitions for the town, and outlines how we intend to work with developers to make it happen.
- June 2021 – July 2021 Replacement Local Development Plan (LDP) Consultation
- August 2021 Placemaking Strategy Stakeholder Engagement
- October 2021 Compulsory Purchase Order Consultation
- November 2021 Placemaking Strategy Consultation
- June 2022 Appropriation of Land at Griffin Park and Sandy Bay Consultation
- February 2023 Open Space Concept Design Stakeholder Engagement
- April 2023 Open Space Concept Design Consultation
- January 2024 Town Centre Placemaking Strategy Consultation
- October 2024 Masterplan Stakeholder Engagement
- February 2025 Masterplan Consultation
- A Lido swimming pool development at the harbour end of Salt Lake which incorporates a gym, a high-quality hotel, a restaurant, a café, a new community use building and more.
- A new site for public events at the food store end of Salt Lake complete with fairground rides, performance space and opportunities for providing food, drink and entertainment.
- A splash pad, mini golf, a pump track, a skate park, a multi-use games area, a basketball court, pocket parks, fitness trails, climbing walls, community gardens and various play areas equipped for children of different ages, all interlinked by a network of paths and routes that are suitable for pedestrians and cyclists.
- With plenty of opportunities for new shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and kiosks, the masterplan also features space for a new outdoor arena, buildings that can be used by community groups, a coastal linear park, community pavilions, a site for motorhomes and touring caravans, land for educational use, and lots of space suitable for hosting seasonal fairs, festivals, markets, stalls and other events.
- In addition, now that Sandy Bay is under public ownership, we will be enhancing local access and encouraging its use for new activities such as surfing lessons and outdoor fitness classes, open air yoga etc.
- All of the above will require appropriate delivery partners, planning permission and suitable sources of funding, but are indicative of the types of facility that we are seeking to work with developers to provide.
- The population of Bridgend County Borough is expected to increase by 13,700 people by the year 2033.
- In Porthcawl, more than 280 people are currently on the housing list waiting for suitable accommodation to become available.
- Unless we build more houses, not everybody will have a home in future.
- Regeneration is funded by selling land for development, so by providing community-focused housing, we can help tackle the housing crisis and generate money which pays for new infrastructure to be installed.
- Bridgend County Borough Council and Welsh Government have already agreed that up to half of the new housing will be classed as affordable.
- It will be suitable for a full mixed community of families, older people, couples, individuals living alone, key workers, veterans and more.
- We intend to have a variety of tenures in place, including shared ownership and low-cost home ownership for people who may not require social housing, but cannot otherwise afford to buy locally at open market values.
- We also intend to prioritise local people first for the housing and to impose limits on the future use of residential units, including restrictions preventing them from being used as holiday lets or second homes.
- Under the plans, a new access road will be built to link with the housing at Sandy Bay.
- This will mean drivers can avoid trying to access the site via New Road, Sandy Lane or Rhych Avenue.
- The new road will be aligned as far south as possible to limit any impact on the extension of Griffin Park and the creation of a new ‘green corridor’.
- No – the housing is intended to help meet local needs, and ensure that Porthcawl can evolve as a modern costal town.
- Part of the new development will be classed as social housing, and a range of different tenures will be in place.
- It will be subject to a lettings policy that will focus upon local people first in keeping with our desire to create a new community within Porthcawl that best serves local interests.
- Yes – we are now projecting around 980 new homes spread throughout the entire length of the regeneration area, all built and designed to blend in with the surrounding landscape and increased green space.
- We have increased and widened areas of green space and public accessibility by 45% since the Placemaking Strategy was developed
- We have lowered prevailing building heights by 20% across the entire site - from 5-6 storeys to 3-4 storeys.
- The changes mean that there will now be a greater number of houses than flats.
- Each part of the regeneration area with be interlinked by more than 1,800 metres of new paths and routes suitable for pedestrians and cyclists.
- The proposed pattern for the housing element of Sandy Bay takes inspiration from the likes of existing Porthcawl streets that are typically built perpendicular to the edge of the coast (such as Picton Avenue, Esplanade Avene and Mary Street).
- This layout allows for long vistas framed by a rhythm of townhouses which favour open, walkable neighbourhoods and encourage social interaction.
- The majority of premises also feature projecting bays and balconies to offer views of the sea, dunes (to the south) or the hills (to the north).
- Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board has been fully involved with the council’s Local Development Plan, which decides how land can be used and what can be built within the county borough.
- They have confirmed that the existing Porthcawl Medical Centre was constructed with prior knowledge of the future regeneration project, and that it was factored into their local provision of services.
- At this stage, the practice has not reported any concerns regarding increasing patient numbers.
- The council is liaising with the health board and is keeping them fully updated on progress so that they can plan ahead.
- An all-new independent foul drainage system will be created which will not connect to any existing sewer within the local network.
- A single safe discharge point into the wider sewer network will be identified in conjunction with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.
- No rainwater will connect to the foul drainage system.
- Any existing surface water will be drained by a new sustainable system which, compared to current arrangements, will reduce the overall burden on the local foul drainage network.
- Before supplying councils with the annual grant that they rely upon for funding key services, Welsh Government first deducts the amount of money that each area is expected to raise via council tax.
- As a result, building extra houses does not generate additional or extra revenue through council tax.
- Extensive research including traffic surveys and parking studies has been carried out over a four year period.
- This has confirmed that Porthcawl requires up to 600 spaces to cope with average peak demand throughout the year, and around 1,000 spaces for when specific events such as summer bank holidays, 10K runs or Bonfire Night draw higher levels of visitors into the town.
- In addition to parking for the new housing, around 400 spaces will be available spread between Hillsboro Place and Salt Lake, while the Coney Beach area will have approximately 200 spaces, all configured to offer maximum efficiency.
- To accommodate periods when visitor levels are higher, the council is in the process of identifying a new overflow car park. This forms part of a separate public parking strategy for Porthcawl, and more details will be released once it has been completed.
- A Metrolink station has already been installed alongside Salt Lake to accommodate visitors who opt to visit the town via public transport.
- While a new multistorey was briefly considered at the Hillsboro Place car park, additional surface parking has since become available on the Coney Beach site to the north of the planned access road.
- As a result, there are no current plans to build a multistorey, and the open air car park at Hillsboro Place will be reconfigured and refurbished to make it more efficient and convenient to use. Public spaces will also be provided within the Salt Lake development area.
- Together with the additional parking at the Coney Beach site, this will offer the same amount of parking that a 4-5 level multi-storey car park would have done.
- Traffic will continue to be monitored closely in case such a facility is required in the future.
- Extensive ecology work has been carried out which has included surveys of habitats, protected species, reptiles, great crested newts, breeding birds, wintering birds, invertebrates and more.
- Specific work has taken place in relation to bats (e.g. surveys of buildings and trees, activity surveys, remote surveys etc).
- The results of this work have been used to inform the overall masterplan for the regeneration site.
- They will enable a range of suitable mitigation measures to be introduced to ensure that the site’s biodiversity can be safeguarded, and that habitats can be protected and developed.
- Details on individual measures will be highlighted as part of the planning process.
- No – it was entirely the decision of the owners of Coney Beach Amusement Park to close the funfair down and sell the site.
- Welsh Government purchased the site in 2023 to safeguard the land for use within the council’s waterfront regeneration plans.
- Coney Beach Amusement Park has been associated with Porthcawl for more than a century and forms an important part of the town’s cultural heritage.
- The regeneration masterplan acknowledges this with the inclusion of proposals for creating all-new funfair rides on a site at Salt Lake close to the Aldi foodstore.
- Yes – they all form important pieces of the overall regeneration plans.
- Each development fits into place to complement the next development.
- This is perhaps best demonstrated by the location of the existing Metrolink, which now makes far more sense when viewed through the context of the artist impressions showing its proximity to other new developments within the completed site.
- Grand Pavilion redevelopment (£20m)
- Western Breakwater, Eastern Promenade and Sandy Bay sea defences (£6m)
- Cosy Corner transformation (£3m)
- Town Beach sea defences (£3m)
- Metrolink (£3m)
- Porthcawl Marina (£3m)
- Jennings Building (£2.5m)
- Rest Bay Watersports Centre (£1.5m)
- Townscape Heritage funding (£1m)
- Yes – the school will gain additional land which has been reserved for educational use. This includes any future expansion or development needs that the school may have.
- There are no changes to Newton Primary School itself, and the school will remain in place / continue as normal.
- A great deal of work has to be carried out to finalise and prepare the regeneration site, select suitable contractors, source funding and development partners, and satisfy the requirements of the planning process before construction can begin.
- The next step will involve carrying out pre-planning application consultation on the final draft masterplan proposals, and this has been arranged to take place between November 2025 – January 2026.
- As part of this process, the final draft masterplan will be made available at www.porthcawlwaterfront.co.uk, and a public event will take place at the Hi Tide in Porthcawl on 25 November 2025 to provide people with an opportunity to view the masterplan in closer detail and ask questions.
- As it is a long-term project, we will be advising people about key dates in this process, so please look out for further updates.
The final draft masterplan for the Porthcawl Waterfront Regeneration is available to view online at www.porthcawlwaterfront.co.uk along with a set of frequently asked questions, and a public event will be held at the Hi Tide in Porthcawl on 25 November 2025 to provide people with an opportunity to view the masterplan in closer detail and ask questions – look out for more details soon.