Don’t let the Council regenerate Treorchy
As reported on Wales Online the town of Treorchy is one of the few thriving high streets left in the valleys. Whilst places such as Porth and Tonypandy are seeing falling trade this high street is reportedly flourishing.
So what makes Treorchy different? Well obviously there is the variety of independent retailers and goods on sale there, but the obvious question then is why are they setting up there and surviving?
One reason surely has to be that car parking in Treorchy is free and cars can park at the side of the road along much of the street. RCT Welsh Liberal Democrats have argued for years that this should be the case across the county and whilst the Labour party disagree with that, and indeed most of what we say, recent actions show that they may be coming around to our way of thinking. In Pontypridd they now allow short term parking in Taff Street before eleven o'clock in the morning, and recently they offered free parking across RCT for a week because they said it would encourage trade.
Treorchy has been mostly left alone, free from the "regeneration" schemes that have done the exact opposite of what they were designed to do. Pedestrianisation in Tonypandy and Pontypridd has been a disaster, and the Council are now backtracking on it in Ponty. Treorchy has a main road right through the town that is very heavily used, there has been no bypass such as at Porth to take trade away.
So Treorchy remains as an example of a prosperous town – and long may it continue. Just don't let the Council regenerate it.
