New and refurbished schools, the major redevelopment of Neath’s town centre, the building of a self powering technology centre to attract new jobs and investment and the nearly completed Plaza Cinema project in Port Talbot.
Bay Technology Centre (CGI) (Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)
These are just some of the exciting projects contained in a progress report on the delivery of Neath Port Talbot Council’s £82.4m 2021/22 capital programme given to members of the council’s Cabinet in November.
Capital projects are generally major schemes which are either new build, acquisition of land or property, lease of property, the refurbishment of an existing building or the purchase of new pieces of equipment.
In the current financial year, the council has been undertaking projects including:
Progressing the council’s 21st Century schools programme:
Cefn Saeson Comprehensive – Completing and opening of a new replacement 11-16 School (ahead of schedule) in the Cimla area. The school was opened to pupils in June 2021.
Abbey Primary – Continuing the construction of a new primary school to replace the current Abbey Primary which is based across three sites in Neath Abbey, Skewen and Longford.
Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera Phase 3 – Progressing the addition of a new build block comprising six extra classrooms and 3G rugby pitch provision.
Continuing the council’s regeneration programme:
Moving ahead with the redevelopment of Neath Town Centre including a new leisure centre and gym, modern library and retail facilities.
Making progress with developing Harbourside, the Port Talbot former dockland area destined to become an attractive site for new businesses, residents and visitors.
The Plaza Cinema – The redevelopment of the former cinema which inspired movie stars such as Richard Burton, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Michael Sheen into a community hub with a café, gym, office space, hall, multi-purpose rooms, a conference area, digital recording studio and shops.
The Bay Technology Centre – A self powering 25,000sq ft building of modern office and laboratory space, located on one of Wales’ premier Business Parks – the Baglan Energy Park – alongside the M4 in the heart of South Wales. Close to completion, it will host different size units for start-up companies, indigenous businesses and inward investors looking for a base to set up and grow their operations.
The capital programme also includes :
Further investment of £3m into Disabled Facility Grants to assist people to live at home and investment of over £3m in Schools Capital Maintenance and Highways and Engineering Maintenance improvements.
Redevelopment works at the Hillside Secure Unit in Neath.
Remodelling of the Council’s Waste Facility at Crymlyn Burrows as a Transfer Station with enhanced recycling capacity and facilities to accommodate the Council’s expanding recycling operation.
Cllr Carol Clement-Williams, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “It’s a tribute to all involved that these dynamic, major projects have been worked on throughout the pandemic and will now provide a major boost to our economy as we prepare to meet the challenges of the post-Covid 19 era.”
The cabinet formally gave its backing the 2021/22 Capital Programme and commended it to the full council for final approval.
Plaza Cinema project (Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)
The historic turbine house located in Margam Country Park has been restored to once again provide electricity for the Margam Estate.
Turbine House, Margam Country Park (Image: NPT Council)
The Turbine house was built in 1891 for Emily Charlotte Talbot, who commissioned the development of a hydro-electric scheme powered by a nearby fishpond. The original turbine generated enough electricity to power 400 lamps. It is thought Margam Castle was the second domestic dwelling to have electricity in Britain at that time.
During the 1950s, the original turbine was removed and taken to South Africa. The replacement turbine has now been fully restored after being neglected for many years.
The restored turbine can now produce approximately 25KW of renewable energy which will be used to power the buildings on the Margam Estate, including the prestigious on-site wedding venue, The Orangery.
The hydro-electric scheme creates no emissions while in service and any unspent energy will be fed back to the National Grid. The project will bring savings to the operation of the country park, reduce the carbon footprint and provide an educational resource for local residents, visitors and schools.
Cllr Peter Rees, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Culture, said: “This project neatly combines part of Margam’s history with the council’s modern day Decarbonisation and Renewable Energy (DARE) strategy and I’d like to thank everyone involved in bringing this valuable renewable energy source back to life.”
The turbine restoration project was overseen by Neath Port Talbot Council, with support from Cadw and the Friends of Margam Country Park who worked closely with Heidra, the company responsible for restoring the ancient turbine.
Steve Ritchie from Heidra said: “Heidra was delighted to be asked by Neath Port Talbot Council to refurbish the 1920s hydro-electric system at Margam Country Park. The turbine, which originally powered the castle electrics before the National Grid existed, has now been upgraded with a modern control and efficient electric generator to supply both heat and clean green electricity to power the Park.”
In addition to housing the turbine, the building will also be used as a workshop and exhibition space for the Friends of Margam Park.
The turbine is open to the public to view, which will help promote and give an insight into the important development of modern-day renewable energy generators.
Fishpond, Margam Country Park (Image: NPT Council)
Swansea-based Gavin Griffiths Recycling has scooped a prestigious Growing Business Award 2021 – B2B Business of The Year – at a glittering ceremony at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Part of the Gavin Griffiths Group, the firm, which has its headquarters in Llangyfelach and expanded this year into a site in Carmarthen, was praised by judges for its “innovative approach to waste management, recycling and aiming for zero landfill,” as well as its “fantastic community engagement.”
One of the region’s leading recycling, waste management, haulage and aggregate suppliers, the firm was up against 1,400 competitors in the category, featuring some of the UK’s most entrepreneurial and high growth business.
During the last 18 months, the group has opened its second site, a 40-acre inert recycling facility in Carmarthenshire, complementing its existing mixed recycling facility in Llangyfelach, Swansea, whilst delivering one of its largest ever contracts, working on the Llangennech freight railway crash land remediation, a year after the derailment, fire and diesel spill that shook the Carmarthenshire community. The firm has also welcomed new staff, machinery, plant and 10 new trucks to support its expansion.
Gavin Griffiths, Group Managing Director said: “I was honoured to see us make the final of such a prestigious national award, but when our name was read out as the winner I was even prouder of what we have achieved as a team. I would like to thank the whole team, our customers, suppliers and stakeholders for supporting us on our journey so far. We are humbled to have been chosen from so many other amazing businesses throughout the UK. We have some exciting developments on the horizon that will see us pioneer and lead the way in the recycling market. It has always been very important to us to maintain our community ethos as a family business and we have continued our community and social values programme, supporting grassroots sports, individuals, schools, and charities across south and west Wales.”
The accolade comes hot on the heels of a win for Gavin Griffiths for Family Business of the Year 2021 at the Swansea Bay Business Awards.
Gavin adds: “To win two awards in one year, really shows how we have kept our family ethos and worked hard to serve our customers across the whole business.”
Proposed designs have been unveiled for a new central Swansea location for the city’s main library and other key services.
How Swansea’s new city centre community hub could look. Pic: Austin-Smith:Lord Ltd
The drawings by architects Austin-Smith:Lord Ltd – on behalf of Swansea Council – reveal a new look for the former BHS/What! building.
They appear in a new document that supports a council application to change the use of the building from shopping to a community hub.
The design document says that the appearance of the new-look building – built in the 1950s – should have “impact” appropriate to a public building, with open and active shop frontages to maintain vibrancy to Oxford St and Princess Way.
It is proposed that the ground floor exterior is largely windows and that upper floors feature large glazed openings to show activity and a welcoming ethos.
It is planned that cladding will give the building a more consistent look than at present. Translucent cladding could be backlit to act as a beacon to help attract visitors.
There are proposals to have a green wall and planting on a roof area.
Inside, the library would act as a “spine” and there’d be a feature grand central staircase.
How Swansea’s new city centre community hub could look. Pic: Austin-Smith:Lord Ltd
The design is the latest step in the project where contractors began preparatory work in October.
In under two years the building is due to be a local services hub. Current proposals are that it will offer easy access to council services, including the library that’s set to move from the Civic Centre. It’ll be joined by a range of other services – and the hub could potentially offer access to the West Glamorgan Archive Service.
The hub, along with other city centre work hubs, is designed by the council to protect or create jobs and increase footfall in the city centre over the coming years.
The proposal for the local services hub – currently including a new central library and other key services – is being developed by the council. When open in 2023 it would be visited by thousands of people every week.
The Swansea city centre building being transformed into a community hub. Pic: Swansea Council
The architect’s design statement says: “The transformation of the former BHS building is hugely exciting.
“There are numerous very tangible benefits for the community and the council through the relocation of the library and archive as well as a number of key public and third party support services into a single building with an open and welcoming environment – aiding communication between services and providing convenience and clarity for users and staff in a purpose-built redevelopment.
“On a wider scale the project has the potential and ambition to be an exemplar for sustainable city centre redevelopment, reinvigorating existing building stock, and reducing carbon use in the fight against climate change, aligning closely with local and national government policies and helping to address the council’s climate emergency declaration.”
The over-arching vision for the project is to:
create an innovative, flexible and sustainable community hub promoting community cohesion, opportunities for self-development and growth, support digital inclusion, improve well-being and unite and strengthen the city’s diverse community;
achieve access to all and provide a range of services in a welcoming environment where people can meet and participate in social activities, learning and support groups;
encourage a coordinated approach in supporting the community in finding and delivering solutions to improve quality of life.
The change of use application will now be considered by Swansea planners.
The public, who have already been consulted about the original concept, can have a say on the change of use plan here – www.bit.ly/HubApplic
The Swansea city centre building being transformed into a community hub. Pic: Swansea Council
‘Everyone Deserves A Christmas’ has gone live with a video of their Christmas single ‘O Little Town Of Bethlehem’.
This reimagining of the classic Christmas Carol features a duet between, Mal Pope and Steve Balsamo, with support from Harry’s Youth Theatre Choir Swansea and the Morriston Salvation Army Band.
The video starts with a spine chilling opening monologue from BAFTA winner Michael Sheen and ends with a special message from OSCAR Winner Catherine Zeta Jones. The video also features appearances from Davina McCall, Max Boyce, Elis James, Penny Lancaster and Bonnie Tyler.
The video was Art Directed by BAFTA Award winning Production Designer Edward Thomas, recently returned to Swansea following a year in Malta designing a new Steven Spielberg Film.
The single is taken from the album ‘Christmas with the Pope’ and is available to stream and download from all streaming sites including Spotify, iTunes and Amazon Music. The physical CD will be available from select shops or via mail order. Details www.malpope.com
As well as inviting everyone to download and stream the single we are making the video available free of charge to groups to use over the festive period and asking for donations to be made to…
Gavin Griffiths, Group Managing Director said: “I was honoured to see us make the final of such a prestigious national award, but when our name was read out as the winner I was even prouder of what we have achieved as a team. I would like to thank the whole team, our customers, suppliers and stakeholders for supporting us on our journey so far. We are humbled to have been chosen from so many other amazing businesses throughout the UK. We have some exciting developments on the horizon that will see us pioneer and lead the way in the recycling market. It has always been very important to us to maintain our community ethos as a family business and we have continued our community and social values programme, supporting grassroots sports, individuals, schools, and charities across south and west Wales.”
