Council applies for Cosy Corner funding

Plans for investing in new community facilities at Cosy Corner in Porthcawl have moved a step closer after the Cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council agreed to match Welsh Government funding of £1m with an additional investment of almost £385,000.

The commitment follows the submission of a bid to Visit Wales and the Welsh European Funding Office under the Tourist Attractor Destination programme, and forms a vital part of a nine-stage assessment process.

With six of the stages already complete, the match-funding has had to be confirmed in order to enable the bid to progress further.

The council has also agreed to undertake a procurement exercise for the appointment of architects in order to complete the remaining stages of the process, and to provide greater certainty around issues such as costs.

I wholeheartedly support this as it will enable the delivery of new community facilities which will benefit residents, visitors and tourists alike. While realistic expectations remain essential, we have developed a range of ambitious proposals for how the site could be used, and will be organising an opportunity for people to comment upon them later in the year.

These include establishing a high-quality children’s play area to complement nearby attractions, creating a new outdoor performance space with seating and landscaping, providing facilities for use by community organisations such as the Sea Cadets, building new premises suitable for small retail and start-up enterprises, and establishing storage and changing facilities for users of the nearby marina.

Our proposals will ensure that Cosy Corner remains an important part of the public realm, and an iconic location within the seafront area. We want it to support not only our own regeneration plans for the Salt Lake and Esplanade areas, but to complement other regeneration projects within the town such as the new marina, new sea defences, newly-restored Jennings Building, the forthcoming improvements on the Eastern breakwater and more.

Councillor Charles Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Education