Town centre’s regeneration gathers pace as new grants announced

Nation.Cymru Staff

Efforts to regenerate town centres in a south Wales county are gathering pace, with three properties completing major makeovers as a new grant scheme offering up to £25,000 opens to businesses and landlords.

Blaenau Gwent Council is inviting expressions of interest for Town Centre Visual Enhancement Grants which aims to help business owners and landlords to improve the external appearance of their property.

The grants can be up to a maximum value of £25,000 to improve shopfronts, windows, fascias, and signage, with applicants required to provide 20 percent match funding.

Leader of Blaenau Gwent Council, Steve Thomas said: “Residents are telling us that they want to see improvements to our town centres and our high streets are vital to creating thriving, vibrant places.

“We are committed to delivering investment and working on the ground with communities and partners through the Blaenau Gwent Deal including our Towns Together programme.

“These grants will enable us to work alongside landlords and business owners to improve the outside of their properties and enhance the visual appearance of our town centres for the benefit of the businesses, the local community and visitors.”

The Local Growth Fund in Wales is a regional development investment programme to support productivity growth in areas with catch-up potential and address economic inequality in areas of deprivation.

The Town Centre Visual Enhancement Grants are intended to encourage investment in core town centre properties considered important to the local economy.

The closing date for expression of interests is Friday 9 October 2026 and those who meet the eligibility criteria will be invited to submit a full application.

More information is available on the Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council site here.

The new grants come as three town centre properties in Blaenau Gwent have completed major improvements with funding from a separate regeneration scheme.

With help from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Place-Making Grant, administered through Blaenau Gwent Council, the premises have been “transformed”.

The Transforming Towns Place-Making Grant aims to help people enhance their business, support local employment and contribute to the improvement and rejuvenation of high streets in the county borough.

The grant can provide up to 60% of a total project cost, with the applicant meeting the rest of the costs.

An extensive programme of works that included a new roof, insulated render to three elevations and new windows realigned to the building original character took place at Brynmawr’s town centre eatery, Homestead Café on Bailey Street.

Classic Fish Bar, also on Bailey Street in Brynmawr, also received a new roof that incorporates photovoltaic panels and battery storage technology, rendering and the replacement of shop fronts to the front and rear, as well as tiling and upgraded lighting.

The former empty property in Abertillery that is now Positif Care’s office/hub for those working in the private residential care for children sector has benefitted from a new double shop front, new signage, external render, new upper windows and roof replacement works that include Photovoltaic panels.

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