What lies ahead for Pontypridd after being hit by Storm Dennis and coronavirus?
After a terrible couple of months for Pontypridd, which began with the devastating flooding caused by Storm Dennis before the country was put into lockdown, Katie-Ann Gupwell explores what’s next for the town
WHEN I first planned to write this piece I expected to be putting together something very different.
A few weeks ago I started to make plans for writing an article about how Pontypridd was starting to rebuild itself after the devastating effects of Storm Dennis.
It was going to highlight the positive work that’s being done to rebuild the town and showcase the people who were working hard to piece it back together. But, very quickly, it began to turn into something very different.
Just before I started to work on it coronavirus had hit the UK. Not long afterwards the entire country was on lockdown.
The shops and businesses I intended to visit had once again been forced to close their doors through no fault of their own and it was absolutely devastating to witness.
I sat in my house (obviously, working from home) wondering how I could write about the future of a town that is currently shut down, bar a few essential shops, for the foreseeable future.
A town that I was watching slowly come back to life again was suddenly, and drastically, hit with a second blow.
It seemed only days ago I was told the much-loved Ynysanagharad War Memorial Park would reopen at the start of April, having been closed to the public since the storm battered it.
Rhondda Cynon Taf council has now confirmed it will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Even though progress has been made to rectify the recent storm damage staff resources have, understandably, had to be redirected to other key council services due to the coronavirus outbreak.
This means some of the work required to safely reopen the park has not been completed.
Even though there are clear delays as to when the beautiful park will be open again it’s believed all the facilities will then be accessible apart from the lido.
This will, at least, bring some good news to parents and children as the play area repairs at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park have been completed, which means when the park reopens and social distancing measures have been lifted a bit of joy will be brought back into our lives once more.
When asked about the current situation, a spokesman for Rhondda Cynon Taf council said: “The council is committed to fully-reopening Lido Ponty, as it is a popular and much-loved attraction for Pontypridd and the wider Rhondda Cynon Taf area.
“The facility received extensive damage during Storm Dennis and it is very unlikely it will open during the current calendar year.
“The footbridge into Ynysangharad War Memorial Park was badly damaged during Storm Dennis and it remains closed for the foreseeable future.
“This is an essential and unavoidable safety measure as a result of unprecedented weather during February 2020.
“Specialist consultants have been appointed to evaluate options for future repair or replacement.”
Discussing the prospect of any future events taking place at the park, the spokesman added: “Following the public health advice due to the coronavirus outbreak the council has announced that all of its public events, up to and including June 2020, are cancelled.
“Decisions on whether events scheduled for later in the year can go ahead will be made according to health advice at that time.”
Just over a month ago I watched my town centre turn into a river. A few weeks on it’s a lot cleaner but even more deserted. And it’s heartbreaking.
Someone who shares in my sadness is Pontypridd MP Alex Davies-Jones who, together with Mick Antoniw AM, worked tirelessly to raise funds for people who were impacted by the floods back in February.
Now she is helping to support businesses who, once again, are being forced to struggle.
Speaking at the beginning of April, she said: “It’s heartbreaking at the moment. The floods hit the town and then this.
“We’ve been hit twice and it just seems so unfair. Businesses were getting back together – they were trying to get back up on their feet.”
As we spoke over the phone, both working from home, Alex told me she was having her nails done at a salon in the town before the UK went into lockdown. Her nail technician told her then that she was hesitant about what would happen after already having seen trade drop due to the floods.
Together with the rest of us, businesses have been left with a lot of uncertainty.
“A lot of them are small independent businesses so it’s a big worry,” added Alex. “No-one knows how long it’s going to last – it’s the uncertainty. It just doesn’t seem fair that they’ve been hit twice.
“It’s heartbreaking when we had so many positive things – the lido, which was thriving, the market, which had just been renovated, we had Transport for Wales offices coming to the town, and we had the Muni re-opening this summer.
“It seems like we had this lovely, positive high street for once and began to have that lovely town centre picture and now this has happened and it’s devastating.”
A charity that has been heavily hit by both the floods and the virus outbreak is Hope Rescue.
Its shop, in Taff Street, was one of many just starting to recover from the impact of the February flooding before the Covid-19 crisis took over and started to put the charity at risk.
Vanessa Waddon, founder and transformation manager, said: “Our services have never been more needed as they are now. We’ve always been here to support the most vulnerable dogs in our local community.
“We have several stray dog contracts and the strays continue to arrive daily.
“Along with many other charities we have lost almost all of our income overnight. Our income sources included our charity shop, boarding business, letting out our paddock and fundraising events – it’s all disappeared.”