PARK AND RIDE CASH TO FUND BUS SCHEME
PLANS for a park and ride at Pyle railway station are being scrapped, a new report confirms. The report by the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal ahead of a meeting on Thursday reveals the project has been abandoned, with its funding allocated to a Porthcawl bus terminus.
PLANS for a park and ride at Pyle railway station are being scrapped a new report confirms.
The report published by the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal ahead of a meeting on Thursday (September 9) reveals the project has been abandoned with its funding being allocated elsewhere.
The City Deal is investing money to grow the economy across south east Wales.
According to the Metro Plus Update report, the scheme is “undeliverable” and “all funding has been redirected to providing a comprehensive scheme at Porthcawl.” However Bridgend council said park and ride remains a long-term plan for Pyle.
The authority said moving forward with the project was not possible at present due to issues and delays in securing land surveys and ground investigations during the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to the potential need to acquire third party land.
Pyle’s park and ride was announced in the first quarter of 2019 as part of the development of an integrated transport hub intended to serve the village and the nearby communities of Porthcawl, Kenfig Hill, Cefn Cribwr and Cornelly. It came under the socalled Metro Plus Regional Transport Authority (RTA) programme, which included 10 projects.
These were all part of the wider £50m worth of new transport projects set for the South Wales Metro scheme.
Following the scrapping of Pyle’s park and ride for the forseeable future, funding will now go into the Porthcawl bus terminus, which forms part of the metro enhancement framework.
The plan includes a purpose-built bus station at the town’s Portway and will be known as the Porthcawl Terminus.
The Metro Plus Update report states in relation to Pyle and Porthcawl: “Preliminary design on the new bus terminus at the Portway has commenced and is progressing at pace.
“Pyle park and ride has proven undeliverable and therefore all funding has been redirected to providing a comprehensive scheme at Porthcawl.”
Reacting to the scrapping of the Pyle park and ride – which would have been a key link in the transport corridor from the village, through Bridgend to Porthcawl and Cardiff – Welsh Conservative MS for South Wales West, Tom Giffard, said it was a blow to the area and will be a disappointment to the public.
Mr Giffard said: “The Pyle park and ride was a flagship scheme for the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal in Bridgend.
“It is unbelievable that two years after announcing the project to much fanfare, the City Deal and Bridgend council have only now found the project to be ‘undeliverable’.
“Local residents in the Pyle area will be bitterly disappointed that this scheme that has been promised to their community has been scrapped by these organisations.
“They need to come clean with the public about exactly how this scheme has fallen apart at this late stage.
“While news of further investment in Porthcawl is certainly welcome there is very little specific detail on this plan for a new bus terminus.
“It is important that any such plan is implemented with the support of local residents and businesses in Porthcawl.”
A Bridgend council spokesman said: “Due to issues and delays in securing land surveys and ground investigations during the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to the potential need to acquire third party land, the delivery of an improved park and ride facility at Pyle could not be achieved during the current City Deal funding programme.
“It remains a long-term plan however to expand the Pyle park and ride car park.
“Diverting funds to the Metro Bus interchange project in Porthcawl will ensure that a much-needed state-ofthe-art facility will create a link to the wider Metro network for visitors and residents.
“It will also support the proposed regeneration plans along the seafront in Porthcawl while ensuring there is a capacity to run bus services to an enhanced park and ride offering in Pyle in the future.
“Being the rail station closest to Porthcawl, the Porthcawl Metro interchange is connected to the Pyle project.
“The new bus interchange in Porthcawl is currently going through a detailed design stage and will be the subject of future public consultation prior to the submission of a planning application.”
A Cardiff Capital City Region Deal spokesperson said: “We support the decision to divert the City Deal Metro Plus funding allocated to Bridgend to the Metro Bus Interchange project at Porthcawl.
“Despite the best of intentions at the outset, the Pyle park and ride scheme has proved unviable to deliver either within the required remaining two year timescales or in accordance with the original funding criteria. By diverting the funds to the Porthcawl scheme we ensure we optimise the spend available.
“We are confident that this will achieve the best possible overall set of outcomes for the area.”