Budget consultation set to launch
All residents are being encouraged to take part in Bridgend County Borough Council’s budget consultation and help shape spending priorities for the coming year.
This year’s consultation launches on Monday 19 December and considers a longer-term vision for the county borough by covering a range of areas including investment in schools, regeneration projects, council tax levels, car park fees, how best to support local business, tourism, the economy, and more.
Fill in the survey online before 22 January or request a hard copy by emailing consultation@bridgend.gov.uk, calling 01656643664 or writing to Consultation and Engagement, Civic Offices, Angel Street Bridgend, CF31 4WB.
Preparation for Pencoed Library refurbishment begins
Pencoed Library remains open as usual whilst preparations begin for an exciting new refurbishment.
The closure date will be confirmed in due course and the plans will see the library fitted with the latest modern features.
The works include:
- Updating static, old furniture with more mobile options so that the space can be used more flexibly for activities and events.
- Creating a work/study space to support those working remotely or those who need quiet areas to concentrate on their school or studies.
- Building a community meeting room for local groups and support services to use.
For more information on the plans for Pencoed Library, please visit our website.
Coety Primary School Consultation- have your say
A consultation about plans to expand Coety Primary School is now live.
The proposal would result in Coety Primary School’s capacity increasing from 420 to 525 places for pupils aged four to eleven years.
In order to address the demand for places at Coety Primary School, an options appraisal was launched, which identified the need to increase provision at the school. This resulted in a preferred option being identified in the form of a two-storey, four-classroom extension.
Additional housing has been constructed at Parc Derwen, which was not planned as part of the original development and these plans will help to facilitate the increased demand.
Please visit our website to have your say on the plans for Coety Primary.
All welcome at Coffee at the Hub!
Employability Bridgend are launching a new support service at their Maesteg Hub which will be held every Friday from 6 January 2023.
The free sessions will be held between 9:30am and midday and residents will be able to find out more about the local community, meet new people and access employability support.
Free tea, coffee and biscuits will also be available.
For more details, please contact Employability Bridgend on 01656 815317 or email employability@bridgend.gov.uk
Further information on Employability Bridgend is also available on our website.
Blaengarw Workmen’s Club to host a range of Christmas activities
If you are looking to get into the Christmas spirit, look no further than paying a visit to Blaengarw Workmen’s Club.
There are a range of festive events coming up, which include:
- 20 December (Midday)- Top Brass Trio- music and mince pies
- 20 December (5.30pm)- Christmas Family Disco and visit from Santa
- 21 December (6pm)- Cinema: Polar Express
For more information and to book tickets, please visit Awen’s website.
Give blood and save lives
The need for blood has never been more important. Can you help?
Welsh Blood Service need more people from the Bridgend area to sign up as donors to help patients across Wales.
Appointments are available in Bridgend at the Heronston Hotel (CF35 5AW) on:
- 19, 21 and 28 December
- Appoints are also available at the Trinity Church in Porthcawl (CF36 3DT) on 23 December
Please be advised that if you have recently had a Covid-19 vaccination, then you must wait two days before making a blood donation.
Book your appointment to help save lives today.
Residents urged to base Hybont feedback on facts, not misinformation
Residents of Brynmenyn and Bryncethin have until Friday 6 January 2023 to submit their feedback on pre-planning application proposals that could see a new green energy Hybont plant developed on land adjacent to Brynmenyn Industrial Estate.
However, council officials and energy experts Marubeni are also appealing for people to base their feedback on the facts around the plans after recent public exhibitions revealed a great deal of rumour and misinformation circulating among the community concerning the size, impact and safety implications of the proposals.
Cllr John Spanswick, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “Hundreds of residents attended the recent exhibitions, and nearly all needed to be reminded that this is literally a pre-application consultation. Any contractors that may have been spotted at the site are testing ground conditions as part of that process, and are not preparing it for the bulldozers to roll in and start work.
Avoiding misinformation
“Due to the sheer amount of misinformation that is out there, many people also had to be assured that the proposed plant would not dominate the skyline or pose a risk to the environment or life itself.
“The fact of the matter is that safe, hydrogen-based technology is already in use across the UK and Europe where it forms part of a move towards tackling climate change by increasing the availability of clean renewable energy, and decarbonising vehicles.
“In London, 22 new hydrogen buses have been introduced – the equivalent of removing 836 petrol cars and saving 1,848 tonnes of CO2 – while in Aberdeen, 15 hydrogen buses have already jointly travelled more than a million miles while saving 1,700 tonnes of emissions.
Possible £31m Investment in Bridgend
“With hydrogen-powered waste and recycling trucks being successfully used in areas such as the Wirral, the Bridgend project represents a £31m investment that could ensure we are at the forefront of the increasing use of sustainable energy in everyday life.
“The truth of the matter is that the proposed new plant would be based alongside existing industries within Brynmenyn Industrial Estate where it would occupy a small, extensively landscaped site, and the only by-product it would produce is oxygen. When used, the fuel itself produces water.
Submit any concerns so council can respond with hard facts
“While it is disappointing to see how much rumour and misinformation has already been shared, we want as many people as possible to submit their concerns so that they can receive an official response based on actual information and hard facts.
“Because this is all still at the pre-planning application stage, a great deal of further work and public consultation will need to be carried out, and I hope that people will take the time to find out more about the reality of the plans so that their opinions and feedback can add real value to the process.”
- You can find more information about the proposals and how you can have your say by visiting hybont.co.uk
Town centre car parks are free to use after six
As part of its support for the local night-time economy, Bridgend County Borough Council is reminding visitors and shoppers that the majority of council-run town centre car parks are free to use after 6pm.
With shops offering extended business hours in the run-up to Christmas, several new businesses opening their doors and a number of restaurants, pubs and nightclubs all available, several council car parks in Bridgend and Porthcawl are available with 24 hour access.
In Bridgend town centre, the large open air car park at Brackla Street (behind Wilkinsons) and car parks in locations such as Tremains Road, Tondu Road and at Bridgend Life Centre are all free to use after 6pm, but barriers at the Rhiw multi-storey close at 7pm to prevent anti-social behaviour.
At Porthcawl, council-run car parks at John Street and Hillsboro Place are free to use after 6pm, and free parking is available along the seafront. Free full-time car parking is also available in Maesteg town centre at the Llynfi Road multistorey, and in Pencoed town centre at Penprysg Road and Alyson Way.
Cllr Neelo Farr, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “The night time economy is just as important to local town centres as day time trade, but this is especially the case during the festive season as people shop for gifts or celebrate with meals or a night out.
“As well as abundant free car parking after 6pm in several council-maintained car parks and year-round free car parking in Maesteg and Pencoed, people who visit Bridgend and Porthcawl town centres during the day can also take advantage of an ongoing special offer which we have extended all the way up to April 2023.
“The offer is enabling drivers using the Rhiw multi storey car park in Bridgend to park for up to three hours free of charge, while visitors using the john Street carpark in Porthcawl can park for free between noon and 3pm each day.