Work on a new 56,000 sq ft Morrisons supermarket in Bargoed will begin on Monday March 12, it has been announced.
Morrisons will be the anchor tenant in the retail development which will have 400 space car park. The new supermarket will create 250 new jobs.
Developers Simons, Caerphilly County Borough Council and Caerphilly Business Forum recently held an event to encourage local businesses to bid for contracts associated with the new store.
Cllr Ron Davies, cabinet member for regeneration said: “It’s great to see that our plans to breathe new life into Bargoed are moving forward and the scheme is finally becoming a reality.
“There is a wealth of business expertise throughout the county borough and we are delighted that Simons are giving our businesses the opportunity to tender for the work. There are strict selection criteria, but the partners have the expertise to support businesses and help them to understand the process for private sector procurement.
“We are delighted to announce that it’s ‘all systems go’ for the scheme. This is fantastic news for Bargoed and I’m sure the whole community will join us in celebrating this landmark occasion.”
Graeme Cosgrove, Development Director at Simons Developments, said: “We look forward to working with Caerphilly County Borough Council and Morrisons over the coming months to deliver a new development that the people of Bargoed and the wider community can be proud of.”
Speaking on behalf of Morrisons, development executive Mark Thompson said: “We are delighted to be involved with this regeneration project. We are committed to bringing to local people all the benefits that make us different from the rest. Our unique offer of high quality, fresh food at great prices, much of which is made in store, is what makes us stand out against our competitors.
“The new Morrisons store will create much needed new local jobs with excellent training and development opportunities targeted squarely at local people. Employing a local workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve has been an intrinsic part of our success story for many years.”
The Welsh Government has also provided funding for the scheme and the wider regeneration of Bargoed.
Housing, Regeneration and Heritage Minister Huw Lewis said: “Town centre renewal is a key priority for this Welsh Government and I am delighted to support this development with partnership funding from our ‘Heads of the Valleys’ Regeneration Area programme.
“This retail space will help breathe new life into Bargoed town centre, support new and existing businesses, stimulate the local economy and provide jobs in the retail sector.”
The building of Morrisons is the first phase of the new retail plateau in Bargoed. The second will include a multiplex cinema which the council is spending £5m on to build.
The council will then let out the cinema to a national chain and it has said it has already received interest. The local authority is looking for retail tenants for phase one.
I am disappointed with the councils lack of interest in keeping local residents informed,could they please explain what site b is to be , and what is a3 use. When original plans were proposed,area b was an artists impression of flats,but this is currently being used as a car park by local residents,as their parking spaces were taken away when the by pass was created. Residents were assured by the council that area b was merely an artists impression. And that they would be allocated parking spaces. None of the local residents have yet been informed by the council of any plan for flats,or where their guaranteed parking spaces are