5 CHANGES TO MAKE PONTARDAWE EVEN MORE AMAZING!
The Pontardawe Town council have set up a committee to overlook a Community Place Plan Project. This will see an outline of the needs and ways forward for Pontardawe and YOUR voice is important. Essentially the committee will liaise with the community of all ages and develop a plan of what can be achieved and what should be done in Pontardawe.
The plan embraces every aspect of the town’s future, health, education, leisure, commerce and housing. Some of the adopted plans could perhaps see realisation within a comparatively short time while others might take decades to achieve. But the main thrust, is that there is a coordinated approach to steer the future of the town in a direction that the community wants to take.
Engagement with the community and all sectors of the community is paramount!
At the magazine, we see this as a REALLY positive and exciting step for Pontardawe. Get your ideas into the Town council by emailing [email protected]
We would also love to hear your ideas for Pontardawe to print in the magazine and share with other readers. This will help bounce ideas off one another. Please send your ideas into us at [email protected]
I couldn’t resist from starting us off. Here are some plans.
THE CWM-DU CABLE CAR
One of Pontardawe’s most embarrassing failures is the Cwm Du footpath. Tens of thousands of people flock to Pontneathvaughan to visit waterfalls which are no more impressive than what we have right here. The difference being that they have workable footpaths to see them.
Our footpath fell away over a decade ago and we should fix this as a matter of absolute urgency. Then we should think bigger. Let us be the first area in the UK to have a cable car that runs directly over waterfalls.
We have a lot of water. We have a lot of hills. Waterfalls to us are kind of inevitable and so we are used to them. People from flat/dry areas, (think London and Southeast of England) LOVE THEM!
Many People travel to see them. Think how many people would really travel to see a cable car going over one. We could have an entrance at the cross. There a cable car could take you directly above the river, up over the green bridge, round the bends and over the waterfalls.
You could then either get off at Rhydyfro and grab a pint in the Travs before jumping back on or stay and continue around in one loop. This time following the river down. Seeing the water go directly over the waterfall.
A COMMUNAL GREEN REALM
We have a ‘inter-generational issue’. Not just in Pontardawe, maybe not even in the UK but we are not communicating very well between generations. Let’s create an active area for all generations. Helping to get us all more active, socialising and becoming more of a community.
An outdoor active area for all ages. Our very own answer to Gnol Park, Craig Y Nos Park or Margam Park. Somewhere where we can spend hours at a time. Something for everyone, somewhere to relax and to socialise and where better than the Glantawe Retail Park which has stood dormant for 30 years?
The area has good road access but is also very amenable by foot for a lot of the local population. We could have allotments which the Town is crying out for. They are a great way to get out and mingle, be active, great for the environment and amazing for our mental and physical health.
A park and a Lido.
There isn’t a Lido in the whole Swansea valley. Do we not deserve one? This area would be perfect for one, on a hot summers day the place would be thriving with people from all across the local area. Bringing people into our Town and investing in our economy.
A band stand may sound like a thing from yesterdays era but towns like Brecon are re-incorporating them into the 21st century. There they are linked up to electric and we could add Wi-fi. Teenagers spend hours there, listening to music and socialising.
This could all be linked up to the cycle path by an extra bridge over the by-pass and the river Tawe. This would create far better circular walks and increase footfall on the cycle path. Currently to do a ‘loop’ on the cycle path residents crossing the Tawe near the Rec’ need to go up to Town Tyres to cross back. The same is obviously the case the other way round. An extra foot bridge linking the cycle path would make a big difference.
The extra footfall that all of this would bring would make a Coffee Shop / Café viable. Seating outside, selling ice creams, coffee and sandwiches.
The Swansea Canal Society are phenomenal. Their Kayak hire in Clydach and the disabled access which they are putting in is incredible and their ambitions for the canal put a lot of us to shame. A café, would allow for a staffed premises where we could hire Kayaks and paddle boards.
CWMTAWE SIXTH FORM COLLEGE AT THE CROSS
There are some brilliant organisations and businesses within the Cross. However, what a beautiful College / Sixth form it would be. It would also bring some extra ‘life’ to the centre of Pontardawe. The building already enjoys a pottery and craft room. It has 18 rooms over 3 floors which attached to Cwmtawe and NPT college could be full of young students in the day and potentially mature students learning new skills in the evening.
All at the very heart of Pontardawe in one of our most loved buildings. A small intimate college would offer Cwmtawe leavers the chance to stay in Pontardawe but would also allow students from other areas to study here.
PEDESTRIANISED HERBERT STREET
Imagine no cars from the pharmacies to Charlos at the bottom of Herbert Street. Now imagine tables and chairs down either side of the road where cars are usually parked. Wind-out covers from each business (just in case it rains.. on the odd occasion)
Our food festivals showed how our community wants to get together and support events…. And we like food.
I went to Germany last year and there was a kebab house, very similar to our two in Pontardawe. The only real difference was that there were tables and chairs outside. As a family we sat out, ordered pizzas, burgers, chips, drinks etc… and we sat outside the equivalent of Emmas and enjoyed a meal.
When there, I thought ‘this would be amazing in Pontardawe!’
Chips? sit outside and have your Charlos on a table and chairs. Greggs, Jenkins, a pie from Frostys Greengrocers or have an Indian eating outside with a beer as the evening comes. The potential is there. If it was closed off then you could eat out and relax with the kids running around. We could even, potentially, if businesses agreed or if Town/County council supplied the tables eat from different places.
Imagine a warm summers evening, heading down to Hebert Street, grabbing an Indian, with a couple of Cobras and grabbing a pizza from Emmas for the kids and some chips from Charlos because they want ‘proper chips’. If it starts to rain then there is a cover that comes out.
Logistically problems can be solved! Any parking spaces lost can be gained at either end. The bottom end of Herbert Street would need a slight amount of work done to it involving the small car park at the bottom to allow traffic to go up and down it but it is do-able. The street, like most pedestrian streets would need to open up at certain times for deliveries. Set times and there would need to be certain bays at the bottom and top for Taxis.
KNOCK IT ALL DOWN (SORRY IF YOU LIVE THERE!)
The whole area by and behind the old Post Office is feeling a bit sorry for itself. It has done for a good few years. Behind it, with the garages and Mamas Paradise, there is a fair bit of land, right in the centre of Pontardawe, overlooking the river and canal which is far from reaching its potential.
In a new plan of Pontardawe, this area could be a clean canvas.
It could even be possible to redivert the A474 as in the image which would give further room for development. Houses in Pontardawe are sort after and developers generally want the largest possible site. If the road was redirected, then the car-park would be an ideal place to build houses or flats to overlook the river.
A new car park would need to be incorporated with the plans to replace those lost, ideally at the top of Herbert Street.
IT IS YOUR TOWN!
We all have ideas, things we think could be better and the Town council are very keen to hear what you think. This project could be absolutely brilliant for the Town, our direction and our future. I really hope that we can be ambitious. Maybe not quite as ambitious as all of the above but at the same time, why not? Ambition is critical as Dylan Thomas (and someone on Twin Town) once said.
Would love to see a railway line to Swansea as it takes so long on the bus and would be fab for our kids to have this quicker connection as they get older.