Fund has helped secure raft of improvements in town centres

BRIDGEND council cabinet members have heard how an influential fund delivered to secure a range of improvements in town centres has been updated.

The Targeted Regeneration Investment programme ran from 2018-2021 and its successor programme Transforming Towns is currently running until March 2022.

To date, funding has enabled the local authority’s regeneration team to commit to around £2.7m for projects across the county borough, including the recent funding award of £910,000 for acquisition and demolition of the police station site at Cheapside.

Completed projects funded by the programme included:

■ Funding support for 17 properties in Bridgend, Maesteg and Porthcawl under the Covid Outdoor Improvements Grant

■ The construction of a ground floor on Nolton Street, Bridgend as part of the Coastal Housing Group development

■ Development funding for the Bridgend Town Centre Masterplan

■ Revenue funding for a range of town centre management projects

■ Funding for several Thematic Urban Centre Property Enhancement/Living Grants projects including Adventure Rooms, Racoon Hair, La Cocina, and Rye and Cane in Bridgend.

The Transforming Towns programme will also see more places benefiting from the Thematic Urban Centre Property Enhancement and Living Grants such as the former Family Value building and former Natwest building in Maesteg and the Coity Castle pub in Bridgend.

Meanwhile, via the Green Infrastructure funding, Commercial Street in Maesteg town centre and Linc Cymru’s redevelopment of Sunnyside, Bridgend, will both be among those to benefit.