This is surely the time for consultation
I WELCOME news that the much-delayed Porthcawl regeneration programme is back on track. It would appear that the council’s decision to spend £3m buying out the private leaseholders of Salt Lake has unblocked the scheme.
The council’s new regeneration plan includes many things I have campaigned for, including the need to upgrade the Hillsboro Place car park and to retain the old Harlequin Building. As Shadow Minister for Heritage, I fought against the council’s plans to demolish this building. It is the last remnant of the old Porthcawl railway station so it is part of the town’s heritage.
The new plan is more realistic. In the absence of a destination supermarket, a smaller one is planned and there will also be better links into the town centre.
Even so, there needs to be a detailed conversation with residents about the specifics in order to avoid a continuation of the decades of resentment which have built up.
As chair of the Assembly’s cross-party group on tourism, I’d be keen to hear views on the proposal for a budget hotel. Is it an opportunity or a threat? To be the first, it needs detailed consideration after consultation.
With housing proposals, locals have made it clear they do not want marina-style apartment blocks built in the town. The council has also made it plain that the revenue from selling land for housing is essential to pay for leisure facilities and other improvements – but where to strike the balance on the types, number and location of residential properties to be built?
People have lost trust in the word “consultation” but it’s necessary here and it must be seen to influence the final decisions. Please get this right, BCBC.