Time for change – £80m regeneration

Mar 13 2008 by Jamie L. Robins, Gwent Gazette

OVER the next two years more than £80m will be spent on the regeneration of Blaenau Gwent.

The money will come from various sources including the council, the Welsh assembly and Europe.

Ebbw Vale town centre projects including links to the Steelworks, property acquisition, environmental improvements and landscaping will receive around £16.8m.

Abertillery town centre projects including landscaping, property acquisition and traffic management will receive just over £8m.

In Brynmawr around £7.5m will be awarded to property acquisition projects and environmental improvements.

Tredegar projects including environmental improvements and work on the business incubation hub on the business park will be awarded around £17.5m.

Around £500,000 will be available to borough wide commercial improvement grants and the same will be made available to Blaenau Gwent industrial improvement grants.

Two million will be spent on village enhancements in Nantyglo, Blaina, Cwm, Tyllwyn, Six Bells and Cwmtillery.

The Llanhilleth are regeneration scheme will receive £400,000 and the development of infrastructure at Rhyd y Blew in Ebbw Vale will receive around £5m.

A massive £15.4m will be distributed to business infrastructure on the former Steelworks site, £5m will be spent on the Rising Sun business unit and more than £2.5m will be spent on the economic development grant programme.

In total the council will contribute £900,000 to the work, the Assembly will add £24.5m, European funding totals £23.36m and £31.7m is made up of other sources.

That means that at the end of the next two years we should see a massive £80.46m improvement on the borough.

Dennis Owens, executive member for regeneration said: “This news is a tremendous credit to the regeneration department.

“We promised the people of Blaenau Gwent we would regenerate their towns and it has been a difficult process for the officers.

“I am very encouraged by their work and I am very pleased for the people of Blaenau Gwent.”