A Resume of the Town
Cwmbran is located in the Southeast corner of Wales, around twenty miles from the capital city of Cardiff. It is unique in the region, as it is the first and only designated new town in South Wales. Since its designation, the town has grown and developed and is now a thriving location, with nearly 50,000 inhabitants.
In 1949, the then Minister for Town and Country Planning, John Silken, designated an area of 31,000 acres surrounding the village of Cwmbran to be the first new town in Wales. Unlike the first generation new towns, the aim of Cwmbran was to provide housing and a range of facilities for those employed in existing industry but who lived in poor housing in the neighbouring valleys.
A master plan was implemented to achieve the objective for the town. However, as the town developed, the projected size of the town had to increase and many of the plans ideals were diluted as the Southwest expansion area was approved in 1977.
In fact, due to the planned nature of Cwmbran, there now exists few opportunities for new development within the town. This has meant intense development pressure on the outskirts of Cwmbran from house builders and developers.
However, the earlier stages of development were not without their problems, for example, the aesthetic qualities and design were often not being met due to the fast pace of development. The contemporary mono-pitched housing in Coed Eva won many awards for original design that is not now regarded fashionable. Despite these difficulties, many of the original principles remain intact, such as the high level of open and recreational space, and the provision of community and retail facilities at the core of each of the original neighbourhoods.
Although housing has encountered problems in Cwmbran, industry and employment has prospered in the town. Cwmbran has a solid manufacturing base, with particular strengths in engineering, together with automotive and electronic component manufacture. Increasingly, IT and information- related industries are being targeted. Llantarnam Park, to the south of the town centre is one of the region’s most prestigious industrial locations. It is home to a number of prominent companies such as Loseley, Hempel, and Spear Europe.
Cwmbran has also prospered from having a vibrant
retail core. The Shopping Centre has a fully pedestrianised, multi purpose centre with covered shopping malls. There are over 170 retail outlets covering a total area of 700.000 sq. ft, including a number of popular high street retailers, restaurants, a theatre and cinema. Accordingly, the town is now considered to be a sub regional centre, and the intention is that this retail focus will be increased by regeneration of the eastern side of the town.