Plans for large-scale development work in Porthcawl have moved a step closer this week after a meeting of Bridgend County Borough Council, where the appropriation of two parcels of land in the Griffin Park and Sandy Bay area was approved.
Discussions for the appropriation of almost 20 hectares of land took place at the council's cabinet meeting on Tuesday, October 18. The well known site would support a part of the Porthcawl waterfront regeneration scheme.
Read More: Big Porthcawl redevelopment could cause questions for Elvis Festival in future
An appropriation of land is is the formal legal process that allows the local council to transfer land from its current use to another, such as a use for planning purposes as in this case. Under council plans, the site, along with the popular amusement park, will become available for a mixed-use development that would include retail, commercial, recreational, housing and leisure opportunities.
With Griffin Park expanded and approximately 900 homes introduced to the site alongside facilities for new businesses and visitors, a new road would also be constructed. It is a development that would run alongside the previously-announced construction of a new Aldi store to be built on Salt Lake car park’s north side.
While officers were keen to note that any future proposals for the land would still need to go through the planning process, with the appropriation now approved these applications can be discussed. Griffin Park, which currently home to two tennis courts, bowls greens and a veterans hut, could see its lower half demolished in the future to make way for a new road system as part of the new seafront development.
It has been a point of contention for many residents who took part in the consultation, though councillors in attendance gave assurances that they were committed to finding alternative locations for these clubs within their future plans.
During the consultation period, there were over 600 responses from Porthcawl residents, which included objections over the amount of housing planned for Sandy Bay and a desire to see more open space retained. Others included a desire for more leisure and recreational uses on the land.
Councillors eventually voted in favour of the land appropriation however, saying they looked forward to the outcome of future proposals which had the potential to increase the size of Griffin Park, as well as updating the tennis facilities, with the possibility of a 200m-long park along the Salt Lake seafront. You can read more of our stories from Porthcawl here, or subscribe to our weekly Bridgend borough newsletter here.
Read Next:
