Businesses could be demolished to make way for transport hub

A business owner in the heart of a Welsh town says she fears having her popular coffee shop demolished in the coming years after proposals to create a new multi-million pound transport hub were released.

Samantha Theron, who runs Brew&Co in Neath town centre, said she had spent the last few months in “limbo” over the plans, which could see the relocation of the town’s bus station from its spot in Victoria Gardens to a new site outside the train station.

If approved, this could see the creation of the hub based at the front of Neath Train Station in Station Square, designed with the aim of bringing bus and rail services together in one location to make journeys easier.

Images of a how the proposed transport hub could look have recently been released by the local council, along with a public consultation and drop-in sessions to get feedback from residents.

However, in order to make way for the plans which would also include a new canopy shelter and passenger concourse, Samantha said her family-owned shop could eventually be demolished, with no clear offers or negotiation for the building so far brought forward.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service she said she was now asking for clarity over the “stressful” situation in order to plan accordingly for the future.

She said: “We have a lovely little business here with the coffee shop in Neath and it’s consistently busy, but we’ve built that up over the last six years with hard work from myself, my family, and my staff.

“We’ve worked really hard on market research to adapt and evolve to what people in the area wanted, making it dog friendly, and even with the specific brunch meals that we serve.

“It’s a family-run business with a mix of regular customers who come in every day and footfall from people using the train station to commute. We also employ eight members of staff who are like a second family, and to be told  it could be taken away is very upsetting.

“While it doesn’t specifically say we will be demolished in the recent release, from the images we’ve seen these buildings are no longer there, and we’ve been told about this possibility verbally as well.

“The stress we’ve gone through has been unfair as I’ve got staff asking about their jobs, and even members of the public asking when it will be knocked down, though so far I’ve not been able to give them any answers.

“I feel I’m working in limbo, when what I need are facts about if this could actually happen, when it could happen, and where I’m going to go if it does – but we just haven’t had that so far.”

Samantha added that a further concern came from the approval of a match-funded grant for refurbishment works to the building, with fears over spending this plus thousands of her own money only a few years before it is potentially knocked down.

She added: “We found out we were awarded this on social media after a lengthy application process. It’s stressful thinking about this aspect on top of everything else because it’s a lot of money for us especially with so much uncertainty.

“We’re not against making these sorts of plans in general if they will improve the town and benefit all of us, but as a business we just want there to be more communication so we have a clear picture of where we stand and what we can do moving forward.”

The new town centre plans were also mentioned by a Neath Port Talbot county councillor in recent weeks, after discussions at the authority’s annual general meeting in May, 2025.

This came when Green Party member for Coedffranc Central, Cllr Nathan Goldup-John, said he would be stepping back from his place within the authority’s governing coalition, naming the proposals for the transport hub as one of the reasons.

Addressing the chamber at the meeting he said: “The proposals remained unchanged despite early and detailed feedback I offered grounded in professional expertise over two years ago.

“The concerns I previously raised are now being echoed by others and I want to be clear, this is a flawed plan that lacks strategic direction and is unlikely to achieve its goals, destroying business place and the environment at the same time.”

A Neath Port Talbot Council spokesperson said the plans for the new integrated transport hub were currently out for public consultation, with the feedback to be reviewed before any final decisions were made.

They said: “The proposals for a new transport hub at the front of Neath Railway Station are currently a matter for public consultation.

“Feedback from the consultation will be used to inform further design development which will then be provided to council members for consideration before any decision is made.

“Project images, maps and videos are available on the council’s website and we welcome continued public feedback.

“There have also been a number of drop-in sessions at which plans could be viewed and questions asked of the project team.

“Regarding the issue of a match-funded grant, the potential for future demolition of the building was explained clearly to the business when applying for funding.

“Any decision made by a business operator to progress with the grant would have been with knowledge of the council’s proposals for a scheme in this location.”