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Ffos Caerffili is up for a national construction award, and will go up against developments from across the UK.

The new shipping container-style market, which opened in Caerphilly town centre in April, has been nominated in the retail and leisure projects category at the 2024 Offsite Awards.

The winners will be revealed at an event in Coventry on September 17.

The market is part of Caerphilly County Borough Council’s 2035 masterplan, which also includes a revamped transport interchange and the redevelopment of Pentrebane Street, as well as a new leisure centre.

Ffos Caerffili is currently home to more than 20 traders, including Joe’s Plant Place and The Circular Studio, and plays host to a wide range of community events, including Pride Caerffili, family events, craft fairs and business networking.

Joe Carey, owner of Joe’s Plant Place, said: “As someone who has spent most of my life in Caerphilly, there always used to be an emphasis on going into Cardiff on the weekend.

“Ffos has had a real impact on getting people to spend their Friday night in the town”.

He added: “You can see the impact; it really is a community being brought together.

“I see people coming in from 5pm onwards on a Friday night and spending their night at Ffos; it’s amazing.”

Samantha Eastcott, who owns The Circular Studio, which sells second hand and vintage clothing, echoed Joe’s views and said: “Ffos has made Caerphilly more of a destination than it was previously.

“As someone from the town, Caerphilly definitely feels more vibrant since the opening”.

Martin Rees, who owns Ten Degrees restaurant on Market Street, opened his second business, Jake’s Ice Cream, at Ffos. He described the venue as a “great new addition to the town” and added: “It’s also meant more visitors to our restaurant.”

Critics

While Ffos Caerffili has received widespread praise since its opening in the spring, opposition councillors have previously hit out at the costs involved in the project, which ran overbudget.

Plaid Cymru said figures it obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request found the overall cost of the project “was almost £800,000 more than the original estimate”.

The figures Plaid obtained also showed the council had spent £56,000 on compensation payouts to traders in light of the delayed opening, having originally planned to have opened in September 2023.

It was then pushed back to November, then January, then March, before finally opening in April.

Plaid Cymru group leader Linsday Whittle has also criticised the design, suggesting instead a “permanent market hall building rather than a load of shipping containers out of place next to one of Wales’ most iconic structures”.

However, following Ffos’ opening weekend, council leader Sean Morgan suggested the Plaid councillor eat “humble pie“.

Cllr Morgan said previously Ffos Caerffili had created 50 jobs and the “success of the opening weekend suggests it was appropriate to wait” to open the market.