£9m investment to create new employment site in south Wales
Anthony Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter
More than £9m will go towards creating a new 19-acre employment site in a south Wales town.
The Welsh Government and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council have entered into an agreement which will provide infrastructure for investment-ready plots to be built at Goat Mill Road.
The site has remained undeveloped since remediation works in the mid to late 1990s.
The scheme will get Welsh Government funding of more than £4.5m, alongside a £5.1m investment from Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) to Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council through the Northern Valleys Initiative (NVI).
The works are set to create jobs during the construction and occupational phase when the plots are built on.
The project aims to capitalise on recently-completed improvements made to the nearby A465 and complement similar schemes undertaken as part of the Tech Valleys programme.
Welsh Government cabinet secretary for economy, energy, and planning Rebecca Evans said: “Well-connected high-quality business spaces are crucial for expansion and job creation.
“This important project will accelerate the availability of investment-ready plots at this site and deliver employment opportunities for people in the surrounding communities, helping us deliver on our priority of growing the economy in all parts of Wales.”
Mike Brough, strategic director for regional growth at Cardiff Capital Region, said: “Remediating and developing valuable land like this for sustainable growth is what CCR’s Northern Valleys Initiative is all about and we are delighted to co-fund this with our partners in Welsh Government and the local authority in Merthyr Tydfil.
“Our team looks forward to co-working on this over the next few years, aiming to stimulate economic growth and increased job creation into Merthyr Tydfil.”
Council leader Brent Carter said: “Merthyr Tydfil is fast becoming a place where people want to invest and bring their businesses. This is partly due to our strategic location; we are in the perfect place, being situated in the heart of the valleys with excellent transport links across south Wales.”
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Only minor tweak I would offer is that the site would be an ideal place for a secure truck stop to be squeezed in, towards the southern end.
More importantly though… what’s happening about the quarry?? Sadly no mention? (It’s just the other side of the road!)
Why are the Rhondda valleys constantly ignored. So much has gone to Merthyr over the years. A little aimed at the Rhondda which has been drained of resources would help the youngsters. All the money for RCT ignores Rhondda.
Wonderful, but if it isn’t accessible by roads with UK National speed limits it will be a white elephant , transport creates economies and our economy is dying with the current approach .