New coach stop in bid to boost Caerphilly Castle visitor numbers

A bigger bus stop and a ramped footpath will be installed outside Caerphilly Castle as part of wider plans to increase visitor numbers to the attraction and the town centre.

Caerphilly County Borough Council planners have approved an application to double the capacity of the bus stop, in Castle Street, to accommodate “short-stay parking” for up to two visitor coaches.

A new ramped path will connect the street to the castle grounds, and an existing flight of steps will also be upgraded.

The application, by Welsh Government heritage agency Cadw, comes after it announced a £10m revamp for what is the UK’s second largest castle.

That wider project will involve a new visitor centre, cafe, toilet facilities and an education room all added to the castle grounds, as well as conservation works to the 13th-century landmark itself.

A heritage assessment by Wardell Armstrong found the coach stop project – which also includes a new bus shelter – would have a “neutral” impact on the castle “and can be implemented without causing any adverse impact”.

This was backed by Cadw, and documents show council planners believe “improved access will contribute to facilitating the continued success of Caerphilly Castle as a key tourism draw”.

The extended coach stop and new ramped access to the castle will also make “an indirect but positive contribution to the economic and tourism potential of Caerphilly town centre”, the planners said.

Cadw boss Gwilym Hughes, outlining the organisation’s ambitions to bring more tourism to Caerphilly Castle, said in 2021 the attraction welcomes between 100,000 and 120,000 visitors annually.