NEWS
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NEW WELSH SCHOOL PLANNED FOR PORTHCAWL
£2.3M NEW RECYCLING CENTRE PREPARES TO OPEN
New plans are in the early stages of development that could see an all-new Welsh-medium seedling school established in the Porthcawl area. Bridgend County Borough Council has agreed to submit an expression of interest on developing the facility as part of the next phase of the Welsh Government capital grant scheme for Welsh-medium education, and to explore options for adding the seedling school to existing plans that aim to create a new Welsh-medium childcare facility within Porthcawl. Basing the school and the childcare facilities at the same location makes perfect sense as it would deliver the most efficient use of any funding that could be provided for the scheme. It would also provide a natural progression for children attending the childcare provision through to the seedling school. The council has previously approved in principle the development of a one-form entry Welsh-medium school that would serve the Porthcawl area as part of our ongoing school modernisation programme. Together with our ongoing plans to provide an all-new modern primary school facility within the Cornelly area, it marks the latest development in education within this part of Bridgend County Borough, and I am looking forward to seeing the proposals develop further.
As I write this, final preparations are under way for the opening of the all-new community recycling centre at Village Farm Industrial Estate in Pyle. Drivers will be able to take advantage of a split-level design to choose whether they want to access parking bays and recycling skips at ground level, or to use bypass lanes and ramps leading to high-sided skips on an upper deck. With on-site queuing space for up to 72 vehicles, the enlarged facility can accommodate up to 24 vehicles at a time and includes facilities such as an all-weather canopy, flexible bollards to prevent accidental damage, on-site solar powered lighting, flat kerb-free parking bays to remove potential trip hazards, and much more. In addition to the new recycling and waste facility, a dedicated turning lane, new traffic lights and a safe crossing island have been installed at the junction between Heol Mostyn and the A48 in order to ease congestion and support the flow of traffic. Together, this represents a £2.3m investment into Village Farm Industrial Estate and the creation of an all-new facility that will help thousands of households to recycle even more of their waste – look out for details on its opening very soon.
COUNCILLOR CHARLES SMITH Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration Bridgend County Borough Council 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk
ENHANCING LOCAL TRANSPORT LINKS I am pleased to confirm that the new park and ride facility planned for Pyle is still on the agenda and that thanks to Cardiff Capital City Deal funding, progress is moving fast on Porthcawl’s new Metro bus facility. The status of the park and ride has been updated and reclassed as a longer-term goal after difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic meant that it could not be delivered within the timescale of this phase. The funding is now being fully invested into the all-new Metro bus project, which is being developed at Salt Lake where it will link in with the wider regional Metro network. Plans for the new Metro bus facility at Salt Lake are currently in development and feature a modern canopy and shelter design, room for around four bus bays, capacity for accommodating electric vehicles, digital information boards and more. Public consultation on the project is planned for later in the year prior to the submission of a planning application, and the aim remains for both the Metro bus facility and a new park and ride at Pyle to ultimately interact together as part of a hugely enhanced overall service for the area. COUNCILLOR HUW DAVID Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council Tel 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk
22 | seaside news
COUNCILLOR HYWEL WILLIAMS Deputy Leader Bridgend County Borough Council Tel: 01656 643643 www.bridgend.gov.uk
RNLI I’d like to dedicate this month’s column to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution here in Porthcawl. Our community is so lucky to have the dedicated team running Porthcawl’s Lifeboat. With a team of 30 volunteer crewmembers from Porthcawl, our coast is protected – ensuring that local people and tourists alike can enjoy the area safely. I was able to visit the lifeboat station and meet Ian Stroud and Phil Missen, to learn first-hand about their important work. With our long coastline they cover a really large area. Without them, tourists wouldn’t feel as confident visiting our coast, and local businesses wouldn’t get the benefit of them spending their money in Porthcawl. They work for our canine friends too, rescuing Ollie the springer spaniel after he was lost for more than three hours in the sea earlier this summer. And the team is entirely reliant on donations. If you are able to spare a few pounds, you can swipe your card outside their gift shop at the coast to quickly donate £3, or you can donate via their website porthcawl-lifeboat.co.uk/crew If every visitor were to chip in a little, it would make a big difference to the team. SARAH MURPHY MS Member of the Senedd for Bridgend
