NEWS

NEW WELSH SCHOOL PLANNED FOR PORTHCAWL

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.

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

£2.3M NEW RECYCLING CENTRE PREPARES TO OPEN

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 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

PORTHCAWL POLICE PRESENCE ASSURED

THE future of Porthcawl police station has been unclear for some time and I was able to raise this in a meeting recently with local police chiefs. I met Chief Supt Stephen Jones and Chief Inspector Geraint White and stressed the need to retain a base for police operations within the town. They explained that many of the functions previously carried out at the police station have now been moved away, leaving police with a much larger building than they need. But I was assured that if the police station were closed down, alternative premises would be found within the town to accommodate the neighbourhood policing team. Both men said that they realised the need to keep this team within the town and ensure that officers will always be on hand to respond to incidents. Both have a strong belief in the value of having locally based officers and Chief Insp White said he had recently re-located a policing team for Pyle and Cornelly to the old police office in Pyle. They assured me that increased incidents of anti-social behaviour and drunkenness witnessed in recent months were being addressed.

JAMIE WALLIS MP for Bridgend

GET ON THE BUS TO STAY CONNECTED

AS Older People’s Champion at the Senedd, I am worried about new research, which shows that older people are still nervous about using public transport. It appears that elderly people are only making half the number of bus journeys that they did before the pandemic, which raises worries about them, becoming isolated. The pandemic has made people fearful about using buses and trains because of understandable worries about catching Covid. But there are also risks to people’s wellbeing from remaining isolated in their homes and cut off from social contact with friends and families. Research has also shown that for many people, taking a bus ride to the shops in their town is the only social interaction they get, so we must encourage them to get out and onto the buses again. People got the message from Welsh Government at the start of the pandemic about staying at home to keep safe and to only undertake necessary journeys. . But it’s time now for a new message and an awareness campaign from our government in Wales to reassure people that it is safe to use public transport again.

DR ALTAF HUSSAIN Welsh Conservative Regional MS for South Wales West

PORTHCAWL MAYOR NEWS

It’s really wonderful to see increased footfall returning to Porthcawl as Covid 19 restrictions continue to be rolled back, shops, restaurants and pubs have re- opened and once again high visitor numbers are returning to enjoy what Porthcawl has to offer. More events are being arranged in the town and residents, families and visitors are enjoying taking part. Porthcawl Town Council’s Promoting Porthcawl Committee is also looking forward and working hard planning an ambitious 2021 Christmas celebration. The restrictions caused by the Covid Pandemic meant that it was not possible to have public events during last year so we are really keen to make a difference this year. We would encourage local organisations and residents of all ages to feed in their ideas to the Committee, (no later than 30th October). Please email your ideas or comments to the town clerk: kerry. grabham@bridgend.gov.uk

COUNCILLOR TRACY HILL Mayor of Porthcawl

Deadline date for the November issue is: Friday 15th October

SCRAPPING PYLE SCHEME IS BIG BLOW

I was dismayed at the decision by the Cardiff Capital City Region to scrap plans for the park and ride at Pyle Railway Station. The scheme is now said to be undeliverable and it has been decided to redirect all funding to the proposed new bus terminus in Porthcawl. I find it incredible that a scheme, hailed two years ago as a flagship policy for the City Region in Bridgend, is now found to be unviable. I want to know what research was carried out before the announcement was made to make sure that it could actually happen. This decision will be a bitter disappointment for people living in Pyle and its catchment. Encouraging people to use public transport is key to all the transport policies within the region and an improved park and ride in Pyle was an essential part of the strategy. We need to know what will now happen in Pyle. I welcome the new bus station in Porthcawl, which is long overdue. But we have had few details about it so far and a public consultation should be held now to see what facilities local people would like to see there.

TOM GIFFARD Welsh Conservative regional Senedd member for South Wales West