New master plan for town centre

Major improvements are planned for Bridgend town centre over the next 10 years as part of an ambitious new regeneration strategy.

The Bridgend Town Centre Masterplan aims to increase the number of people who shop, work, live, visit and enjoy the town centre by using a ‘zoned’ approach for improving retail opportunities, creating new commercial and office space, introducing new public realm works and providing better transport facilities.

Designed by specialist consultants on behalf of Bridgend County Borough Council, the masterplan seeks to create improved areas of open space within the town centre while striking a new balance between the benefits of pedestrianisation and requirements for vehicular access.

With widespread public consultation set to take place in October, the council is currently obtaining views and feedback from wider stakeholders and preparing to present the masterplan to a future meeting of the Town and Community Council Forum.

The new Bridgend Town Centre Masterplan has been developed alongside specialist consultants with a strong track record of success, and has taken into account the needs of local traders, land and building owners and more. With towns all around the UK facing new challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Brexit and changing patterns in how people shop and use town centres, it is more essential than ever before to ensure that we have a viable, flexible strategy in place.

We want the masterplan to act as a catalyst for future growth by offering a theoretical layout which will guide development and regeneration. The zoned approach will support applications for specific types of funding in the town centre as well as the aims and objectives of the new Local Development Plan.

It promises to be an exciting, ambitious new chapter for Bridgend town centre which will support future economic growth and prosperity, and we will be revealing further details about the plan in coming months as we set about undertaking a full public consultation. We all have a stake in the future of Bridgend town centre. The consultation over the new masterplan will provide us with further essential feedback which will be used to help influence the final strategy, so I hope that as many people as possible will take part.

Councillor Charles Smith, Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration