HUB IS GREEN FOR GO

Llanelli Rural Council’s ambitious community hub project in Llwynhendy is green for go following the council successfullybeing awarded a substantial grant of £162,630 from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund. The grant along withgenerous match funding of £100,000 from ‘Our Llwynhendy’ will deliver phase one of the project with the money fundingplay provision to cater for younger and older children’s playalong with wider environmental enhancements and featureson land surrounding, the branch library at Heol Elfed, Llwynhendy. To satisfy the grant award the planned works to the green space need to be completed by December, 2024.  

Cllr S. N. Lewis, Leader of Council remarked “The grant award from the UK Government and Levelling Up has put the hub project firmly in the offing. While the council is working to a 14 month deadline to drawdown the grant; its intention is to complete phase one works by the summer of 2024, six months ahead of the grant spending deadline. Since discovering we’ve been awarded the grant, which is marvellous news, the council has wasted no time with completing its preliminary preparations to use it, which included a recent community consultation on the type of play features and environmental enhancements residents would like to see being provided. The consultation paves the way forthe council to now asset transfer the parcel of land from Carmarthenshire County Council. The council will look to do this at its next council meeting on 14 November, where it will engross the lease. The next stage then entails approachingplay equipment providers for suitable play schemes and alsolandscape engineers, ecologists, arborists and horticulturalists in order to develop a landscaping plan for the area. The landscaping element will compliment and evolve around the play provision by providing footpaths and points of interest using the natural environment with selective planting to help promote biodiversity.”

Cllr Deryk Cundy, Chairman of the Council’s Recreation and Welfare Committee and also Chairman of the sub-committee tasked with overseeing the development of the project stated “There has been extensive community consultation work to help deliver this project and the sub-committee, which I chair, has worked closely with representatives from ‘Our Llwynhendy’ and ‘Pro-Vision Llwynhendy’ over several months to get us to this point. This element of the project is the first phase of the Llwynhendy Community Hub project.  Future phases include the asset transfer of the library building in order to add a building extension and repurpose the internal layout for broader community use, whilst also maintaining a library service. A scale model of the library depicting its reconfigured purpose has been developed by the Council’s Architect, W. G. Architects and it truly brings the council’s general plans for the regeneration of the site to life. The plans are very exciting and the council is delighted to be working for and with the community to help deliver local aspirations.”

Chairman of Llanelli Rural Council, Cllr Susan Phillips added, “The project is now really getting underway in earnest and it is wonderful to share this news with the people of Llwynhendy who have for a while been requesting better community facilities in the area.  This is the first of the investments into the community hub project and I look forward to seeing the project develop.”

Chair of Our Llwynhendy, Natasha Horne said, “On behalf of the Our Llwynhendy Steering Group I can say that we are so pleased that the finances are now in place for the first phase of works. Throughout the process we have always maintained the importance of creating pleasant and fun outdoor spaces for the community. This part of Llwynhendy will benefit so much from a new children’s play area and the surrounding space has so much potential for wider use. We cannot wait to see the new facilities being used next year!”