Nearly £12 million in funding has been secured for regeneration projects in Port Talbot .
The funding of £11.47 million from the Welsh Government has been awarded to Neath Port Talbot Council to continue the its Vibrant and Viable Places (VVP) Regeneration Programme, which has already instigated a number of large-scale improvement projects.
Schemes already completed as part of the programme include Green Park, where 34 new residential units are already occupied, the redeveloped former Aberavon fire station, which has been transformed into an employability centre and the Harbour Walk and Green Park Riverside schemes, which have created new pedestrian and cycling links between the town centre and surrounding areas.
Those currently under way include the redevelopment of Aberavon House, which is due for completion in February 2018, and the demolition of the former Glanafan school and the Port Talbot police station sites.
The two projects will provide 77 new homes and new commercial space in the heart of the town centre once completed.
Work on the integrated transport hub is also progressing and the council estimates that it should be completed by the end of this year.
One of the key aims of the programme is to provide benefits to the local supply chain including training and employment opportunities.
Councillor Annette Wingrave, cabinet member for regeneration and sustainable development at the Neath Port Talbot Council said: “This programme is of great importance to Port Talbot. We have already seen major improvements to the overall environment of the town and there are more to follow.
“It complements other successes, such as the developments on the harbourside and the
redevelopment of the Parkway railway station, and will bring about a genuine transformation of the town, ensuring that Port Talbot plays a major role in the future of the Swansea Bay City Region.”
