Posted on: Friday 21 November 2025
Cabinet members will be updated on the progress of plans for a Pontypool Cultural Hub and Cafe Quarter next week.
Council officers are working to develop a new parkside cafe on Hanbury Road, in the town centre, and carry out improvements to the multi-storey car park, on Glantorvaen Road.
A third phase to transform St. James’s Church, opposite the planned parkside cafe, into a restaurant and pop-up cinema is also being progressed by a private developer.
The projects are a key part of the council's vision to kick start the regeneration of Pontypool Town Centre and will deliver a high quality southern gateway that will make the town centre more attractive to visitors from the local area and beyond.
The projects are expected to create 36 new jobs, safeguard existing jobs, increase footfall and drive future investment in the town centre.
On Tuesday, councillors will be asked to approve a plan to use a £1.5m UK Government Pride in Place Impact Fund grant to fully realise the projects potential and meet current budget projections.
Cllr Joanne Gauden, Executive Member for Economy, Skills and Regeneration, said: "These are major steps forward in our plans to revitalise this area of Pontypool town centre. It will help businesses and residents to maximise the economic benefits of being on the outskirts of Pontypool Park, which is a key visitor destination that attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year.
"The plans were first outlined in our Pontypool Placemaking Plan, which was approved in 2022, so I am very pleased to now be at this stage.
"If the additional Pride in Place grant funding is approved, we will continue to listen and work with our communities to bring the Pontypool Placemaking Plan to life."
Dyl Delany, chairman of the Pontypool Community Taskforce, which was set up this year to help shape the future of Pontypool town centre, said: "Pontypool Community Taskforce is fully behind the proposal of Torfaen’s Levelling Up project. A fully-researched programme which aims to create jobs and boost the town’s economy is just what our town needs.
"The project will help towards the planned regeneration of Pontypool Town Centre. The initial focus on creating a Cultural and Café Quarter, is the first major step of efforts to attract both our communities and visitors back into our town which the Taskforce is fully behind."
The Pontypool Cultural Hub and Cafe Quarter received £7.6m from the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund in 2023.
The council has committed £1.9m in match funding to support the delivery of the schemes.
Read the report: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://moderngov.torfaen.gov.uk/documents/g7275/Public%20reports%20pack%2025th-Nov-2025%2010.30%20Cabinet.pdf?T=10