Movement at last on Taff Vale Precinct site?
RCT Council's Cabinet will meet next week to discuss the latest plans for the former Taff Vale Precinct site in Pontypridd.
They earlier earmarked a sum of £1.5 million to be spent on making the site more attractive to developers. This will include demolishing what remains of the former precinct which is currently nothing but an eye sore.
The report before Cabinet states that "the site presents a major regeneration opportunity but in its current state acts as a disincentive to significant future investment in the town" which is certainly a case of stating the obvious. It proposes that moving forward "a mainly retail led scheme would neither be likely to be deliverable nor viable in today's climate."
Instead it is proposed that the new development would house a mix of offices for public and private sector use and a range of leisure opportunities, including restaurants. There are also plans for a new footbridge across the river from the site to the park.
It is only to be hoped that this time something will actually be delivered. We have been here before with lots of plans that did not come to fruition. This time of course we have the added complication that we may not be able to rely on European funding, which has been relied upon so heavily in the past.
We await developments with interest.
