Plans to demolish town centre buildings to create better transport links delayed

Anthony Lewis, local democracy reporter

Plans to demolish town centre buildings to create a better link with a town’s railway and bus stations are taking longer than expected.

On Tuesday, October 21, Merthyr Tydfil council’s Sustainable Merthyr scrutiny committee heard the demolition scheme was taking longer than anticipated due to the sensitive nature of the work.

Demolition has been taking place on the site at the bottom of town adjacent to Howfield’s and a council officer said completion of the demolition is anticipated for the end of the year.

Public realm works

The council will then be looking at a scheme for the next financial year, subject to funding, which will look at public realm works, connecting bus and rail and some potential further building enhancement works in the area, as well as signs.

In terms of funding, a council officer said it’s in the pipeline and they’ve had discussions with funders.

They said the Welsh Government is aware of the importance of the scheme particularly following the opening of the new bus station.

The proposed redevelopment of lower High Street into Merthyr Interchange Link would involves the demolition of the Peacocks building, the British Red Cross building, and the Monique’s building.

Public space

This would then see a new public space introduced between Masonic Street and High Street, the relocation of an existing sub-station and the re-building of Monique’s into an “attractive corner plot”.

A statement submitted with the planning application said, in their current condition, Peacocks and British Red Cross were of limited to low architectural value, ageing and maintained to a low standard.

It said the removal of these two buildings would allow the creation of improved connections between High Street and Masonic Street.

It added Monique’s was not economically viable to save, adding there was extensive damage to key structural elements of the existing building and the plan would seek to re-create Monique’s Victorian style into a purpose built corner plot which interacted with High Street and the newly-formed public space.

And it said there was an opportunity to improve people’s arrival into the town centre. It said the scheme would open up the High Street connection and be centred around the inclusion of a high quality public space which united and integrated with the existing historic High Street.