Caerphilly town centre’s ‘revitalisation’ commended by commissioner

Efforts to regenerate Caerphilly town centre have been praised by Wales’ future generations commissioner during a visit to the town.

Derek Walker toured planned regeneration sites, including the site of the new leisure centre and Pentrebane Street, alongside council leader Sean Morgan and Senedd Member Hefin David.

The commissioner also visited the recently developed container-style market Ffos Caerffili which forms part of the ongoing Caerphilly town 2035 masterplan.

As part of the plans, Caerphilly County Borough Council says it has spoken with Caerphilly Youth Council for feedback, as well as hosting workshops with primary and comprehensive schools.

After his visit, Mr Walker said: “The progress of the Caerphilly Town 2035 masterplan is hopeful and an example of the sort of revitalising of a town centre which can be scaled up across Wales.

“I’ve highlighted Caerphilly town centre’s focus on improving wellbeing and sustainability in my upcoming recommendations to public bodies, including Welsh Government, in my assessment of progress on wellbeing in Wales.

“As we prepare to mark ten years of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, we need more examples like this, involving communities to make sure we all have a better future.”

Sean Morgan, leader of the council, added: “We are proud of the work the masterplan is achieving in Caerphilly town centre. Across the planning stage we have engaged with young people on multiple occasions to gather their ideas and perspectives on their town and how it could be improved. 

“We want our young people to see that Caerphilly continues to grow and develop into a better place to live, work and visit for all, and by the time they are making decisions about their future, these significant interventions will have come to fruition.

“We’ll be continuing to talk to as many members of our community as possible over the coming weeks, months and years, and hope they’ll continue to share their ambitions for our town centre with us.”

Hefin David, Labour MS for Caerphilly, said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome the future generations commissioner to Caerphilly today and show him all the brilliant work going on, to create a more modern and eco-friendly town centre.

“The vision behind the plans is clear with wellbeing, greater transport connections and increased leisure facilities all being built around our very own local history hub that is Caerphilly Castle. It’s a very exciting time for Caerphilly and the future generations who will experience it.”