Exactly a year ago, we reported how a once-pretty building in an important shopping street had been allowed to become a horrendous eyesore. Local businesses accused Bridgend Council of failing to take action as 53 Nolton Street fell into disrepair. Now anger is mounting as the last year has only seen the three-storey site deteriorate further.
Sarko Hassani, a barber at the Golden Cut shop opposite, feels let down by the council. "If something like this was in Cardiff they wouldn't leave it for years," said the 20-year-old. "I think they would fix it in five or six months maximum."
Known locally as The Ranch, the former Bridgend chip shop is derelict with a caved-in roof, boarded-up windows, large holes in the exterior and piles of debris inside. Health and safety fencing means pedestrians have to cross to the other pavement to walk past.
