Cwmbran town centre in 2021
The exciting transformation of Cwmbran town centre is a step closer. Torfaen Council has a plan to make sure the town keeps its place as one of Wales’ best shopping centres.
Work is already going well on the £15 million cinema, bowling alley, and restaurant development which will bring some great new facilities to Cwmbran when it opens in October 2008.
Views
The next stage is to agree the plan which will set out how other key areas in and around the town centre will be developed. The Council wants your views on the proposals.
This is the vision for Cwmbran:
‘In 2021 Cwmbran has an improved and expanded town centre with a significant and sustainable mixed use offer including retail, leisure, office, employment and residential provision, enhanced and meaningful areas of public open space, a high quality urban environment in terms of design and amenity, and fully integrated sustainable and accessible transport provision’.
The draft plan will guide the various developments that will take place until 2021. Torfaen Council needs this plan to be able to refuse applications that do not fit in with the long term vision and strategic aims contained in the draft plan.
The Council wants to attract more high profile shops, more office jobs, more housing, more leisure uses, and more people to use public transport. This will attract more people to use the town centre, especially in the evenings. The Council also wants to see the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal become a feature of the town centre.
Councillor Bob Wellington, Leader of Torfaen Council, said: “Cwmbran is hugely popular with both local people and visitors. We will come under pressure from developers who want to build in and around the town centre so we need to have the power to be able to control its growth to make sure it’s done to get the maximum benefit.
“The draft plan will give us the power to do this. It is an excellent shopping centre but we want to protect it from unsuitable development.
“The complex being built near Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre is a great example of attracting private investment to provide the kind of facilities the town needs to keep its place as one of the best shopping centres in Wales. Private investors are spending £15 million on this project which shows their confidence in Cwmbran.”
What do you think?
The public consultation is from Monday 5 November to Wednesday 16 January.
You can look at a copy of the documents in:
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County Hall, Cwmbran
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Civic Centre, Pontypool
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Cwmbran library
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Pontypool library
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Blaenavon library
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Torfaen mobile library
Copies will also be available for you to take away and comment sheets will be available for you to give your views.