Lower Station Road works completed ahead of schedule

Works to renew pavements and the carriageway at lower Station Road in Port Talbot have been completed.
The works were carried out by Neath Port Talbot Council and their contractors Alun Griffiths, and have been completed three weeks ahead of schedule.

Sandstone flag paving with special granite kerbing has been used throughout and the carriageway has been resurfaced. Improvements to on-street parking bays now provide 51free parking spaces including 7 disabled spaces.

In addition, the old railings alongside the river Afan have been replaced with new stainless steel railings.

The scheme also included the replacement of the outdated street furniture in the civic square with new modern, stainless steel and timber street furniture and the renewal of the railings around the central feature.

Neath Port Talbot Council had secured funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government to carry out the work.

The completion of this scheme complements the recent ERDF funded work in the pedestrianised area of the town which included the refurbishment of the shop front canopy and the installation of contemporary street furniture.

Over the next few years Port Talbot will also benefit from more than £30m investment via the Vibrant and Viable Places Regeneration Programme which will deliver a transformed town centre with 140 new homes, 2,000 m2 of additional commercial space and improvements tomore than 350 residential properties.

Work is already underway at Green Park where 34 affordable homes including houses, bungalows and flats are being built in close proximity to the town centre, alongside the River Afan.

Other housing led regeneration projects include the redevelopment of Port Talbot Police Station and Glan Afan Comprehensive School, and the ‘Homes above Shops’ scheme in lower Station Road.

There are also proposals for a Centre for Culture and Arts based in the Plaza Cinema, and an integrated transport hub at Port Talbot Parkway which is currently undergoing a multi-million pound redevelopment.

Councillor Ali Thomas OBE, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council said: “The Regeneration of our town centres plays a key part in our efforts to build a better future for the County Borough as an attractive place to live, visit and do business.

“I am pleased to see that our Regeneration plans in Port Talbot are coming to fruition and that despite unprecedented budget challenges we continue to progress our Regeneration commitments throughout the County Borough.”