A town that has become known for crime on its high street including alcohol and drug misuse has now made some big changes as it is desperate to get rid of its old reputation.
Neath, in the south-west of Wales, is trying to fight back and some locals say the town centre is now much better than it used to be, with new cafes and businesses being opened recently.
Among the new additions to the town is a new leisure centre and library department, which is also home to a new restaurant bar.
Recently, a new cafe offering crafts, poetry and live music, has also opened in the town, Wales Online reports.
The town now also has a welcoming space for young adults who have experience of living in care as well as a new bakery where customers queue outside the door to buy fresh bread and pastries.
But despite the positive changes, some people are calling for even more to be done.
Local resident Andrew Jenkins said: "I like the town centre, lots of people are working hard to make the town welcoming and vibrant in difficult circumstances.
"There's a lot more that needs to be done, but I do fear [what] the impact of upcoming bus cuts will have on the numbers of people being able to come into town."
Another resident, Colin Bail, added: "The new development - the library, leisure centre, the lounge bar - are exciting, modern buildings which are a great addition to the town.
"The market is always good with a 'market atmosphere,' Gwyn Hall [is] excellent - however, the area opposite the Castle Hotel is not inviting with a horrid old pub building that needs urgent attention!"
Local resident and employee at the Orchard Café and Diner, Jean Jones, is calling for more youth clubs and play areas to be opened in the town centre so that people can take their children to pay over the summer months.
Fellow resident Clive Webber added: "Neath is finished! If it wasn't for M&S and the market, it would be a ghost town!"
Pointing at an empty building in Orchard Street, he added: "This used to be one of the best streets in Neath - that used to be the Queen's Pub, it was a cracking pub! But there's nothing here anymore."
Another resident, who asked to be anonymous, said Neath has "so much potential" but "sky-high business rates" set by the Welsh Government have forced several businesses to close down.
The resident also criticised the level of unsociable behaviour which she described as "shocking".
A local resident named Graham said the state of the side streets is "horrible" as he said people get rid of their rubbish in the road.
He explained: "They're littered with rubbish, discarded food bins everywhere - and the bins clearly haven't been collected for a considerable time, there's food boxes, drinks cans, cardboard. You see it all one week and then pass it a week later and it's all still there!"
The most recent official crime statistics from South Wales Police show the number of crimes reported in each district in the South Wales region in February 2023.
In Neath North, the district which incorporates much of the town centre, there were 63 crimes reported that month - including 29 incidents of violence and sexual offences, and 24 incidents of anti-social behaviour.
The figures are significantly lower than they were in the same period last year, when 102 crimes were recorded across the Neath North area, of which 36 involved violence and sexual offences and 24 were reports of anti-social behaviour.
A council spokesperson said: "The council’s multi-million pound re-development of Neath’s town centre backed by grant aid from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme has now seen the successful delivery of a new swimming pool, leisure centre, gym and modern library.
"Upmarket bar-lounge-restaurant chain Loungers has just opened its latest outlet, the Cadno Lounge in the leisure and retail complex.
"It's an exciting project that has increased town centre footfall (with 2,300 new members at the leisure centre - 1,300 more than in the previous centre) during the day and evenings and introduced a broader mix of users, helping to develop a family atmosphere in the town."
