A report outlining the progress that has been made towards The Caerphilly Town 2035 Placemaking Plan has been released by Caerphilly County Borough Council this week.

The Place Making Plan sets out an exciting blueprint for the regeneration of Caerphilly town centre and involves close collaboration between a number of key agencies including the council, Welsh Government, CADW and Transport for Wales.

The report, which was considered by the council’s Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee, also includes an update on the council’s successful bid to utilise £20 million of Levelling Up Funding, to build a new contemporary Wellbeing Centre, in the heart of Caerphilly Town Centre. Featuring all the facilities offered by a traditional leisure centre, the Wellbeing Centre will provide further facilities for both physical and mental wellbeing and will serve as an enabler for residents across the whole county borough to lead more active lives.

Cllr Sean Morgan, Leader of Council commented:

“The progress being made towards our Caerphilly Town 2035 Placemaking objectives is fantastic news for residents of this county borough.”

“The projects outlined in this report are all key to building our vision for Caerphilly 2035 – and I am pleased that we have already progressed a number of these integral projects.”

The redevelopment of the former Indoor Market site at Pentrebane Street will see the construction by Linc Housing Association of up to 74 new apartments and a new ground floor commercial and retail space. Linc are currently exploring options on how to best utilise the site – with a potential start date of early 2024 being identified for the start of demolition and construction work.

The plans to develop a new public transport interchange are still underway. Initial consultations have gathered public views to help develop a proposal that meets the needs of residents. Although the council’s bid for Levelling Up Funding was unsuccessful for this project, other external funding opportunities are being explored. The council’s ambition is for the new interchange to become a best practice ‘demonstrator’ for future transport interchanges in Wales and across the UK.

The Council-owned Park Lane site has been identified as the most appropriate location for the new Market, which will replace the current Indoor Market Hall on Pentrebane Street. The new market will provide modified shipping containers in a high-quality environment for up to 28 new traders, including food and beverage, and additional space for some managed workspace.

A planning application has been submitted, with construction of the project due to start in March 2023 with the aim of opening the site in September 2023. Match-funding for the Council’s contribution has been secured from the Welsh Governments Transforming Towns Initiative.

Other projects such as the creation of a new leisure hotel development at Park Lane and the development of a Castle Quarter are still being progressed.

Cllr. Jamie Pritchard, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Prosperity, Regeneration & Climate Change said:
“The progress made to date within the Caerphilly 2035 programme has been excellent. The Caerphilly 2035 blueprint is about building a Caerphilly that is a renowned destination for both the people of the county borough but also for tourists.”

This is an exciting time for residents of the county borough and we will continue to keep residents updated with these developments in the coming months.”

Furthering these highlights, the progress report provides an overview of the different developments that Caerphilly County Borough Council have identified for consideration to work towards achieving the objectives set out in the Placemaking Charter:

To focus investment on a number of large regeneration projects in a coherent and co-ordinated manner.
To minimise impact on the town centre during development activity.
To bring key stakeholders on board as early as possible.
To create a dynamic environment that stimulates further economic prosperity.
To create a plan that would help towards unlocking external funding sources
To re-image the town so it becomes a more attractive and inviting destination
To reduce traffic flows through the town centre
To ensure that local deprived areas directly benefit