£10m for Welsh regeneration projects including railway extension and town centre improvements

Nation.Cymru staff

A railway extension, a bus station redevelopment and new city centre green spaces are among the projects sharing £10 million in Welsh Government regeneration funding.

Wrexham will receive £5 million for its cultural quarter, with the remaining funding supporting schemes in Brynmawr, Neath, Monmouth, Bala and Newport, alongside a regional programme in south-west Wales.

The Wrexham allocation will fund improvements to Henblas Street, Chester Street and the vacant former Hippodrome Cinema site, including green spaces designed for families.

In Gwynedd, £850,000 will go towards the first phase of the Bala Lake Railway Trust’s Red Dragon Project, which will extend the railway from Penybont into Bala town centre.

Monmouthshire council will receive £357,814 to redevelop Monmouth Bus Station, improving accessibility and its connections with the town.

The awards are being made through the Transforming Towns programme, with councils developing proposals through community engagement and local placemaking plans.

Blaenau Gwent council has secured £757,400 to acquire the Stagecoach site in Brynmawr, with the aim of improving connections between the retail park and the town centre.

A further £120,000 will fund an update to Brynmawr’s placemaking plan, associated delivery and engagement work, and design and site investigations at the former Nantyglo School site.

In Neath, £765,435 has been approved for improvements to streets and public spaces around Shufflebotham Lane, within the town centre conservation area.

Newport council will receive £250,000 for development and planning work at Rodney Parade’s Cabbage Patch. The proposed scheme would replace a condemned clubhouse with an accessible outdoor sports and wellbeing centre, including a 4G pitch and courts.

Another £2 million will support the South West Wales Placemaking Grant programme across Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. It funds town centre regeneration, improvements to business premises and job creation.

Artists and businesses

The announcement came as Siân Gwenllian, Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, visited Tŷ Pawb in Wrexham to meet artists working at the venue.

The centre combines market stalls, studios and galleries, providing space for traders and artists to work, exhibit and sell their products.

Muralist Liam Stokes-Massey, who has been based at its Shepherds Hut for more than six years, said low-rent high street premises had helped shape his career. He had also benefited from networking opportunities, workshops and experience of curating exhibitions.

Rachel West, who runs The Art Bunny, has worked as a freelance artist in Wrexham for around 14 years. Her opportunities at Tŷ Pawb have included painting a photo wall, holding her first solo exhibition and opening an art shop.

Ms Gwenllian said: “Meeting artists like Liam and Rachel has shown me exactly what can be achieved when we invest in our town centres, not just in bricks and mortar, but in the people and ideas that bring them to life.”

She said the funding reflected the priorities of the Town Centre Taskforce, which was “helping to ensure that regeneration is driven by what communities actually need”.

Wrexham council leader Mark Pritchard said the investment would build on earlier work in the city.

“We’ve already delivered a number of major regeneration schemes with support from Welsh Government, including the indoor markets, High Street, Old Library creative hub and the museum,” he said.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.