OUR 2019 WISH LIST!
The key projects we would like to see in the year ahead
CARMARTHENSHIRE has plenty going for it. Aside from the stunning countryside and picturesque beaches, 2018 offered residents plenty to shout about.
We had the Tour of Britain, Steps performing in Parc y Scarlets, and the return of Llanelli’s half marathon.
But there are always things that could be improved and some issues and up-and-coming projects in the county which could do with some clarity or even a little nudge.
Here is what we need to see happen this year:
WORK ON FLOODING PREVENTION
In October, Carmarthenshire was hit by the worst flooding seen in the area for over 30 years.
Businesses and homes were badly damaged as water levels rose, with Carmarthen in particular badly affected by the extreme weather.
Cars were submerged in water at Ken Williams Motors, while the windows at The Cresselly Arms in Pontargothi were barely visible.
Carmarthenshire Council predicted that it would cost millions to rectify the damage that Storm Callum caused across the county, with an estimate of £3 million just to repair the highway infrastructure alone.
At the time of the flood, Jeremy Parr, flood and incident risk manager at Natural Resources Wales, said NRW would work with the local government and the emergency services to “reduce the impacts of incidents like this”.
TRAIN IMPROVEMENTS
Llanelli’s train station has received new toilets and waiting rooms after it was announced it would finally be getting a muchneeded makeover.
Since then, Transport for Wales has announced that more investments are going to be made in Lla- nelli’s station in 2025, while Carmarthen and Machynlleth will both receive investments in 2021.
Sean Rees, councillor for the Glanymor ward, has called for improvements to the facilities available at Llanelli’s station and has recently met with Transport for Wales to raise residents’ concerns.
These include ensuring that the new waiting rooms and toilet facilities are open for longer periods, investing in CCTV to monitor inside the station and to tackle anti-social problems, and introducing further customer information screens and help points, as well as needing more services both from and to west Wales.
FEWER EMPTY SHOPS
This is much more of a problem in Llanelli where a number of units in the town centre remain empty as they continue to compete against the success of out-of-town retail park, Parc Trostre.
It’s an issue affecting high streets up and down the country, and things don’t seem to be improving much in Llanelli.
Abandoned shops, where businesses have long since gone, litter the town centre, with bigger businesses either moving to Parc Trostre or quitting the town altogether.
Councillor Emlyn Dole, executive board member for regeneration at Carmarthenshire Council, previously called the regeneration of Llanelli’s town centre a “key priority” of the council and its partners.
Could 2019 be the year things start to look up for the town centre?
STOPPING ILLEGAL RAVES
Hundreds of people have been attending illegal raves in picturesque parts of Wales.
When the police arrive at a location and the event is already under way, their only option is to restrict entry rather than close it down.
After the latest illegal rave, Dyfed-Powys Police called on members of the public to help it shut events down before they got going.
Superintendent Mason said: “Farmers, landowners and local communities are encouraged to report anything they feel is suspicious or out of the ordinary - for example if there are unusual numbers of vehicles, especially camper vans, vans or trucks, seen in the locality.
“Moving forward, work- ing on prevention with rural communities and partners is key - this includes working out how areas can be made inhospitable to illegal gatherings, while remaining attractive beauty spots.”
CLARITY ON HEALTHCARE CHANGES
It’s been referred to as “the biggest and most important public consultation ever undertaken” on the future of healthcare in west Wales.
It was announced in September that Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen and Withybush Hospital in Pembrokeshire would both lose services and be ‘repurposed’ as part of a healthcare shake-up.
A new hospital is also set to be built somewhere between St Clears and Narberth for urgent care and will include planned care. It will also be for mental health assessment and treatment.
Nearly 5,400 people responded to a questionnaire and there were 77 different meetings, as well as five different petitions signed by nearly 51,000 over the course of the consultation.
With this in mind, residents will surely be keen to find out more about their future healthcare in 2019.
PROGRESS ON DELTA LAKES
The £200 million project has been put on hold after four Swansea University academics, one of whom was credited as the architect of the scheme, were suspended.
Despite this, the project, which will consist of a wellness hub featuring a new leisure centre and swimming pool, a community health hub, a life science centre for research, a range of assisted living accommodation, and an upgraded lakeside landscape, has won the backing of Carmarthenshire Council’s planning committee.
The decision will now be referred to the Welsh Government where ministers will decide whether or not to call the outline application in before approval is actually granted, or otherwise.
It was announced in June, 2017, that work had started on the development, but now more than 18 months later people are keen to know if it’s ever going to happen.
A DECISION ON DOUBLE YELLOW LINES AT PEMBREY
Double yellow lines were painted on a road leading to Cefn Sidan beach last summer, anger- ing many drivers who had been able to park there to access the beach for decades.
The parking measures were put in place by the council as part of a 12-month experimental order, but faced opposition from visitors to Cefn Sidan and an action group has even been set up.
Llanelli MP Nia Griffith said: “It is completely unacceptable to deny locals the free access to the beach that they have enjoyed for more than 40 years.”
Carmarthenshire Council previously explained that the lines were put in place to minimise parking obstructions and damage to verges caused by a high number of motorists.
It said some would be removed but the rest would stay.
WINTER WONDERLAND RETURNING
For the Christmas, got its own derland at Morfa Lane. first time last Carmarthen winter wonthe park in
An undercover ice rink, a funfair, Santa’s grotto and a Christmas market with local food stalls were all on offer, as well as a heated tipi tent bar and coffee house.
The festive event proved to be a big hit for Carmarthen residents, who had to travel to the winter wonderlands in either Swansea or Cardiff in previous years.
It would be great to see this return to the town for Christmas 2019.
IMPROVING STATION ROAD
The long stretch of road is dotted with pubs, cafes and takeaways but most people living and working in Station Road have said it’s most commonly associated with drugs and crime.
Elli ward councillor John Jenkins has previously called for Station Road to be “improved greatly” as he called it a poor introduction for visitors to the town.
Mr Jenkins said: “When you get off at Llanelli train station, this is your entrance to the town of Llanelli. It needs to be improved greatly - a concentration of low-cost housing, and the associated problems that come with that, have made this a very unwelcoming gateway, so I think action needs to be taken.”
PROGRESS ON THE PROPOSED LLANDEILO BYPASS
The Welsh Government has completed the first of a two-stage appraisal of the bypass, with environmental surveys and traffic modelling studies already undertaken.
A spokeswoman for the Welsh Government confirmed that the second stage would “examine in greater detail a shortlist of options, based on their ability to solve the problem, their fit with local, regional objectives, their positive impacts across all aspects of wellbeing, and their potential to drive long-lasting change”.
The council’s environmental and public protection scrutiny committee raised concerns after receiving updates about air quality management areas (AQMAs) in Llandeilo which had been established because of nitrogen dioxide level breaches.
These concerns prompted councillors to demand action on the bypass from the Welsh Government.
REGENERATING JACKSON’S LANE
Plans to regenerate the Jackson’s Lane area of Carmarthen by creating a new public square with cafes and small business units were submitted in 2017.
The area, which will be known as Jackson’s Square, is hoped to become a cultural hub in the centre of the town, with a large screen set to be a permanent feature on the west side of the square which could allow people to watch large sporting events and film festivals.
But despite this, no work has been carried out at the site. This could offer a boost for the town centre if work gets under way in 2019.