Plans have been approved to transform Caerphilly's former market and adjoining properties. The old Caerphilly market on Pentrebane Street closed for good in January with plans secured for a new container style market to open in September on Park Lane.
Now the council has approved plans which will redevelop the original market site and nearby properties on Pentrebane street. The project, which is part of the Caerphilly 2035 regeneration program, will see housing association Linc Cymru build 73 new apartments along with seven commercial units to attract businesses. Accommodation will include a mix of social rent and market rent properties.
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Its aim is to transform the area in and around Pentrebane Street with three new buildings and new public spaces for visitors and residents to enjoy. According to the council, the dilapidated nature of the buildings has resulted in reduced footfall to this part of the town centre and has negatively impacted existing businesses.
The council says the Welsh Government has provided it with a fund to compulsory purchase a series of properties and businesses along Pentrebane Street, which includes the old market. If the compulsory purchase order is uncontested demolition work could take place as early as summer 2024. Construction time is expected to take between 18 and 24 months which means it could be running by late 2026 or early 2027.
Speaking to WalesOnline Hamish Munro, the placemaking programme manager at Caerphilly council, said disruption to residents and businesses along that road was unavoidable. However, he said he was hopeful that people will see how the plan will have medium and long-term benefits for the town centre. He said the council's priority is keeping the impact on these individuals to a minimum.
"They have concerns because there will be disruption," he said. "We can't deliver these schemes without disrupting certain businesses and residents. Some people will be directly affected and some will be affected because they are adjoining the site.
"We just need to try and mitigate that disruption as much as possible and hopefully by talking to people in advance and talking about the time scales, hopefully they see that the end game will be better. I showed one Pentrebane Street resident the plans and she said the plans looked 'absolutely amazing', even though it means she will have to move."
James Pritchard, Caerphilly council's deputy leader and cabinet member for prosperity, regeneration and climate change, said the approved plan was a "window of opportunity" for the town to become a better place for locals and businesses.
He said: "I have been a councillor for 11 years and the overriding thing that people have said to me is: 'Do something for the town', or: 'Sort the town out.' As cabinet member, I have made it a priority to work closely with our officers to make it a reality, because I don't want to be on [residents'] doorsteps in years' time with people saying we made promises but didn't deliver.
"We have a window of opportunity now to deliver long lasting change for Caerphilly town and that does mean there will be some inconvenience. We are going to be sensitive to that. We want Caerphilly to be a place that is redeveloped and somewhere people will visit instead of going elsewhere."
When asked by WalesOnline if the new market would include traders from the original market, Mr Pritchard said it would be a "competitive process." He said: "No business will be given a guarantee. We have to be fair, open and transparent. We have a letting strategy which sets out a lot of the criteria.
"Anyone is free to put forward an expression of interest. It's fair to say, having been to the former market, all the traders were given the opportunity to access support from the offices as well as financial support. Upmarket Butchers for example moved to new premises and told me it was the best decision they made because it is a higher footfall area."
Mr Munro said the next step of the Caerphilly 2035 process will include the council looking into the possibility of erecting an 80-bed hotel at the site of the Sports Direct building on Cardiff Road.
