Councillors back plans for seafront upgrade
MAJOR regeneration plans for Porthcawl received the backing of councillors at a full Bridgend County Borough Council meeting.
Councillors gave the scheme – which involves a supermarket, housing and a leisure facility on Salt Lake Car Park – their approval at a meeting on Wednesday.
The development will take place over the next few years in a number of phases which are all subject to planning permission.
The first phase will begin early next year when the local authority will start marketing the northern end of the car park for a supermarket.
BCBC officers say there is currently strong market interest from a number of retailers.
The earliest date for the store being completed is summer 2021.
Council officers say the sale of the store site will enable the council to then reinvest the money in the next stages.
Future phases involve housing next to the new store, a revamp for Hillsboro Place Car Park and a hotel or two on the edges of Hillsboro Place Car Park.
Development plans for a leisure scheme and further housing on the seafront are first dependent on gaining funding grants from the Welsh Government for new coastal defences which will include a new Eastern Promenade.
This is because the flood risk needs to be mitigated before most of the housing can be developed and the leisure facilities.
If the Welsh Government approves BCBC’s coastal defence bid the work will take place between 2020/21.
In the short term the southern end of Salt Lake Car Park will become a BCBC-run car park, opening in time for Easter 2019.
The council plans to spend £100,000 on new pay-and-display machines, signage and site remedial works to make it operational. It says the funding will be repaid from income generated by the car park.
Officers said it had always been known flood defences would be needed before development could begin on part of the land.
Council leader Huw David said: “I don’t think anyone would have wanted to delay the development any further. It’s a golden opportunity.”