Caerphilly Observer
Member Sign in Manage Membership
Become a Member - no ads
Menu
  • News
    • Senedd
    • Business
    • Newport
    • Opinion
  • Sport
    • Rugby union
    • Football
  • Membership & Subscriptions
  • Notices
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Sponsored Content
Menu

Coffi Vista: Town centre coffee shop to close despite last-ditch rescue bid

News | Nicholas Thomas - Local Democracy Reporting Service | Published: 12:41, Wednesday February 28th, 2024.
Last updated: 12:41, Wednesday February 28th, 2024

Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

Coffi Vista, Caerphilly

Coffi Vista in Caerphilly town centre will shut down after a last-ditch attempt to save it failed.

The cafe was earmarked for closure in Caerphilly Council’s budget proposals for the coming financial year.

The council argued it was effectively subsidising the premises to the tune of £100,000 annually and could not reconcile that spending with the wider need to save millions of pounds.

But critics said Coffi Vista was more than a coffee shop, and provided the community with a much-loved meeting place that helped people struggling with loneliness and social isolation.

Around 300 people attended a protest against the council’s Coffi Vista plans on Saturday January 13

Public toilets on the premises will also close, but the art shop Y Galeri in the same building is unaffected by the council’s budget plans, which were voted through at a meeting on Tuesday February 27.

The issue has proved arguably the most controversial of the budget process, sparking a large protest outside Coffi Vista in January and a petition signed by nearly 3,000 people.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Plaid Cymru councillors criticised the local authority’s leadership for pressing ahead with the controversial closure plan.

Gary Enright, a Plaid representative, attempted an eleventh-hour amendment to the budget which would have diverted £78,000 of funding over to Coffi Vista.

Cllr Gary Enright, Plaid Cymru councillor for the Llanbradach ward
Cllr Gary Enright, Plaid Cymru councillor for the Llanbradach ward

This, he argued, would “reprieve” the business and give its managers another year to come up with a plan for a “viable” future.

Plaid colleague Colin Mann told councillors £78,000 was “quite a small amount” for the local authority to part with and would offer the business “a chance” to survive.

Judith Pritchard, also Plaid, warned that closing public toilets in the town centre was “a silly thing to do”.

But Sean Morgan, the council leader, said the authority had already committed more than £11 million of its reserves to make sure the new budget was balanced, adding that it was more “sustainable” to stop subsidising Coffi Vista and to bring in a private tenant for the premises.

Consultation documents showed a roughly 50/50 split between respondents who backed closing Coffi Vista and those who wanted it to remain open.

The debate over the site came as Plaid criticised the council for its wider investment in Caerphilly town centre, including a new market and the redevelopment of the railway station.

New images showing how the new 'Ffos Caerffili' could look
An artist’s impression of how the new ‘Ffos Caerffili’ market could look

Plaid councillor Greg Ead claimed “the money can be found when there’s the political will for it”.

But Jamie Pritchard, the cabinet member for regeneration, defended the investment and said it had earned public support during consultation events.

Speaking after the meeting, he accused critics of “vociferously” campaigning “against any new development” in the town.

Cllr Enright’s amendment was ultimately unsuccessful, and councillors went on to vote through the original budget measures, including the plan to close Coffi Vista.


Sign-up to our daily newsletter


Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts.

Become a member today

CCBC
CCBC

Latest News

  • Blackwood High Street
    County borough to receive £21.5m from UK Government ‘Pride in Place’ fundThursday, September 25, 2025
  • Aneurin Bevan University Health Board set for £19.9m overspendThursday, September 25, 2025
  • Gareth Potter: Conservative candidate for the Caerphilly Senedd by-electionThursday, September 25, 2025
  • Senedd stock image
    Senedd unveils £100m budget, including 21% increaseThursday, September 25, 2025
  • Wales at AI crossroads between promise and peril, Senedd warnsThursday, September 25, 2025
  • Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd
    Welsh Government ‘not taking its own infrastructure body seriously’Thursday, September 25, 2025

Find out how the communities of Caerphilly County Borough get their names

Caerphilly

Legal & Public Notices

  • Notice of application for a premises licence: Hanbury Road, BargoedThursday, September 25, 2025
  • Notice of application for a variation of a premises licence: Pontygwindy Industrial EstateThursday, September 18, 2025
  • Caerphilly County Borough Council public noticesThursday, September 18, 2025
  • Caerphilly County Borough Council public noticesThursday, September 4, 2025
© 2009-2024 Caerphilly Media Ltd, Caerphilly Miners Centre for the Community Watford Road Caerphilly, CF83 1BJ. Incorporated in Wales No. 07604006.