Spar deal shows council ‘intervening with action’ against high street decline

The purchase of an empty High Street shop in Bargoed shows Caerphilly County Borough Council is “intervening with action” to improve town centres.

Cllr Jamie Pritchard, the cabinet member for regeneration, said taking the former Spar premises into council ownership will make it easier to attract private-sector interest.

“This vacant, empty space in Bargoed town centre does not look good and has not been maintained well, when in private ownership, over the years,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“Bargoed has a high number of vacant properties, so we are intervening with action.”

Caerphilly Council recently received £4.5 million in Welsh Government funding to acquire empty properties in the town and in Blackwood.

“This is a step forward for Bargoed following the loan agreement secured from Welsh Government,” explained Cllr Pritchard. “The acquisition of the building will offer the council a much better opportunity of engaging the private sector.”

He said proposals to tackle empty shops had support from the public and local councillors.

The cabinet member did not reveal how much the council paid for the former Spar store, however, citing commercial sensitivity.

Caerphilly Council recently used the premises as a ‘meanwhile’ space for temporary business and community use, but said it would now “consider further options to bring the building back into beneficial use”.

The purchase forms part of wider regeneration plans for Bargoed and Blackwood, which are both the subject of new placemaking plans for town-centre regeneration.

“We are open to considering opportunities that are out there, and our intention is to ensure the placemaking plan delivers improvements,” explained Cllr Pritchard. “It is important to recognise the changing face of the high street.

“Retail has taken a hit across the UK over the last 15 to 20 years, so the council has a very tough job on its hands to combat these trends. The public expect us to positively work to improve town centres, in the face of huge pressures.”

Local councillors responded positively to the placemaking plans when they were presented to the council in early July.

The plans are overarching strategies designed to set out how town centres could be improved, and are essential to have in place if the council wants to secure future Welsh Government regeneration funding.

Proposals for Bargoed include more events, town-centre housing, hospitality businesses, better connections between the high street and public transport, and action against problem parking.

At the time, Aberbargoed and Bargoed councillor Dawn Ingram-Jones called the plan for her ward “transformatory” and said: “We are really looking forward to the mix of uses.”

In Blackwood, the plans include improved connections, more homes in the town centre, better green spaces, and a wider leisure and entertainment offer.

Blackwood councillor Andrew Farina-Childs said the plan would “undoubtedly have a positive impact and really see the town thriving again”.

Cllr Kevin Etheridge, meanwhile, has suggested reviving a former BMX track in the town for the benefit of its young residents.