Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council has applied to the Welsh Capital Challenge for funds to back a proposed £20m regeneration scheme in the Ebbw Fach valley.
The council is the first Welsh authority to submit a bid for a share of the Government’s new £33m fund.
The cornerstone of Blaenau Gwent’s plan is a £20m redevelopment of the former Dunlop Semtex factory at Brynmawr. The 24ha (59 acre) site lies to the south of the A465, near the Heads of Valleys Road in the Ebbw Fach valley.
Blaenau has split the site – 11.5ha (28.42 acres) of which is occupied by a lake – into four development zones:
- 8.5ha (21.01 acres) divided into two separate zones for purely residential development
- 3ha (7.41 acres) for industrial use
- 1ha (2.47 acres) for either residential or commercial development
The Ebbw Fach valley regeneration programme also includes proposals for a 1,858 sq m (20,000 sq ft) Tesco superstore at Abertillery. In addition, Beazer Homes is planning a £4m residential development at the site of the former Tuf Shoe factory.
The Welsh Office will decide early next year which local authorities are to receive Welsh Capital Challenge funds.
EGi News 16/10/96
