Pontypridd Riverside Development Questioned as Residents Raise Flooding and Spending Concerns

Plans for a new riverside plaza in Pontypridd town centre are facing renewed criticism, as residents question whether millions of pounds of public money are being spent on a “vanity project” while flooding and public service pressures continue to worsen across the town.

The latest controversy follows a Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (RCTC) announcement confirming a full road closure in Pontypridd town centre on Sunday 8 February 2026. The closure will allow contractors to install a new water supply connection as part of ongoing redevelopment works at the former Marks & Spencer site.

Sunday road closure in Pontypridd town centre for M&S site works

The scheme, part of the council’s Southern Gateway regeneration programme, is intended to create a riverside plaza featuring greenery, food and drink kiosks and new viewing points over the River Taff. The council says the development will allow people to see the river from the town centre “for the first time in over a century”.

However, critics argue that the justification does not withstand scrutiny.

Residents point out that the River Taff is already visible and accessible from Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, which lies immediately adjacent to the development site. The park already provides seating, open green space and uninterrupted river views, raising questions about why a multi-million-pound structure was needed to deliver a benefit that already exists.

“There were far cheaper and less disruptive options,” said one local resident. “A tea garden or café could have been built in the park itself, improving facilities without demolishing buildings, closing roads, or spending millions on steel and concrete.”

The redevelopment, which has a reported cost running into millions, is funded through Welsh Government Transforming Towns grants and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. While the council stresses that the funding is ring-fenced for regeneration, critics argue that this does not remove the issue of priorities.

“Money may come from specific grants, but decisions still reflect what the council chooses to focus on,” said a local campaigner. “Staff time, long-term maintenance, and political attention are all being diverted to this project.”

Flooding has emerged as the most significant point of contention. Pontypridd has experienced increasingly frequent flood events in recent years, with repeated damage to homes and businesses following severe storms. Residents say it is difficult to accept major spending on aesthetic town centre improvements when flood prevention remains inadequate in many parts of the town.

While the council has stated elsewhere that flood defences are incorporated into the riverside scheme, critics argue these measures primarily protect the development itself rather than addressing wider flood risk affecting residential areas.

“The irony is that we’re building expensive structures next to a river in a town that floods more often than ever,” said another resident. “People are asking why this money wasn’t used to protect homes instead.”

The council’s press release announcing the road closure does not address flood prevention, alternative uses for the funding, or concerns about public service cuts. In recent years, residents have seen reductions in services including waste collection, transport support and community provision, adding to perceptions that priorities are misaligned.

For now, work on the riverside plaza continues, with completion expected in spring 2026. But as construction progresses, so too does public debate over whether the project represents genuine regeneration—or an expensive distraction from the more urgent challenges facing Pontypridd.