Councillor Tim Wood to the Cabinet Member – Regeneration

During recent years BCBC has expended a significant sum of public money firstly holding a consultation then a report and investigation process into opening a small portion of Bridgend Town Centre back open to traffic.

This consultation back in 2016 had the highest public engagement in the history of this council and the public were resounding in their backing of this partial re-opening of the town centre.

As such, will the Cabinet Member for Regeneration agree that we as a council are here to serve the public, to be good stewards of the public purse and are here to encourage and sustain our town centres not hinder them.

So will the Cabinet Member for Regeneration detail to me their plans to make Bridgend Town Centre accessible to all?

Councillor Alex Williams to the Cabinet Member - Communities

Will the Cabinet member - Communities make a statement on the subsidies which BCBC currently provides to support those bus routes which have been deemed as commercially unviable; outline what consideration has been given to the reduction or complete withdrawal of these subsidies; and what analysis has been conducted on the potential ramifications of such a reduction or withdrawal in subsidies on people within the communities which were previously in receipt of subsidised routes?

Councillor Tim Thomas to the Cabinet Member - Communities

What is the Cabinet Member doing to ensure that BCBC roads and highways are accessible for the elderly and disabled?

Councillor Ian Williams to the Cabinet Member - Regeneration

Could the cabinet member for regeneration please let me have an update on what measures are being taken to restore the many derelict buildings in our town centre and what is the timeline for this remediation?

Councillor Tim Wood to the Cabinet Member – Regeneration

During recent years BCBC has expended a significant sum of public money firstly holding a consultation then a report and investigation process into opening a small portion of Bridgend Town Centre back open to traffic.

This consultation back in 2016 had the highest public engagement in the history of this council and the public were resounding in their backing of this partial re-opening of the town centre.

As such, will the Cabinet Member for Regeneration agree that we as a council are here to serve the public, to be good stewards of the public purse and are here to encourage and sustain our town centres not hinder them.

So will the Cabinet Member for Regeneration detail to me their plans to make Bridgend Town Centre accessible to all?

Response

Following on from the Bridgend Town Centre Regeneration Masterplan 2021, there is a continued focus on fulfilling Bridgend’s role as a destination and centre for retail, living, employment, education and heritage. To enable this, the Council has, for a number of years, been asked to consider de-pedestrianisation as a potential solution to increasing footfall in the town centre to support the local economy and create a more vibrant and inclusive town centre for residents and visitors alike.

We have indeed completed exercises over recent years in order to establish how access could be improved but have undoubtedly faced barriers along the way, not least a change in Welsh Government policies on Planning and Active Travel, but also a UK Government moratorium on De-pedestrianisation and active travel schemes to allow a review of national policy.

The current Bridgend Town Centre Accessibility Options Appraisal, focusses on improved town centre access and puts forward three potential options to address the issue, aiming to balance competing priorities for the diverse range of stakeholders within Bridgend town centre. Whilst previous studies have suggested options for de-pedestrianisation, this work provides a re-examination of the accessibility of the town centre involving a review of current planning policies such as Planning Policy WALES (Edition 11, February 2021) and the new Wales Transport Strategy, plus a review of the previous access studies undertaken.

An evaluation of the current traffic regulation order (TRO) has also undertaken in order to gain a better understanding of the approach needed to improve town centre access, including electronic bollard management, parking provision and the investigation of click and collect and delivery options.

We are now working with specialists at Atkins to thoroughly test and interrogate the viability of the three options and to determine the preferred option that can be taken forward to delivery stage, ensuring that projects are legally and technically feasible, as well as economically justifiable and worth further investment. In order to determine the preferred option, further extensive consultation will be undertaken with relevant BCBC departments, statutory bodies and elected members.

Options will also be appraised using an criteria assessment framework against key policy and legislation, which will include (but are not limited  ...  view the full minutes text for item 123