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Bargoed Town Council is hopeful that plans to create a Covid-19 memorial garden will ‘come to fruition’. 

A small garden, using land next to Bargoed Police Station, has been suggested as a place to memorialise those who died from Covid. 

“It’s an ongoing idea,” said Cllr Howard Llewellyn, Mayor of Bargoed Town Council, “it would be lovely if it did come to fruition.”

The idea is to provide an accessible area to mark the ‘huge loss suffered by residents’ as a result of the pandemic, according to Cllr Reg Carroll, who represents Park, speaking at the Bargoed Town Council meeting in December. 

The area may include a memorial stone and will provide a refuge where residents can come and reflect.

The town council have previously discussed other ways to pay tribute to the loss suffered due to the pandemic, including a memorial clock, but has faced planning hurdles- as they are with the garden. 

“Anything in the town or area has got to have planning permission,” said Cllr Llewellyn, of the planning permission that rests with Caerphilly Borough County Council. 

Negotiations are ongoing and there are plans to conduct a consultation with the public early this year to see if residents support seeking funding for the garden. If so, a no-cost lease will be put in place and development will begin.

At the moment, the idea is more of a seed. “The idea is there and we’ve made progress,” added Cllr Llewellyn.