Neath Town Centre Regeneration

Neath Town centre redevelopment is a key part of the Council’s overall regeneration strategy, working to make the County Borough an attractive place to live, visit and do business. For their part the Council and its partners have been proactive in developing Neath’s physical and commercial environment over recent years. 　

Retail Redevelopment

Major regeneration work is taking place as part of a retail-led redevelopment.

The first phase of the redevelopment started in Summer 2014. This phase will include a new 600 space multi-storey car park providing a modern well lit, spacious and secure facility for people using the town centre.

Kier Construction are currently on site and finalising their site preparation works with hoardings and assembly of their office and welfare facilities. Preparations are also underway for the demolition of the Magistrate's Court building, which will start this month and should be completed by the end of September. Excavation and piling work for the new multi-storey car park and retail unit are due to start soon. The next visible construction milestone will be the erection of the new steel frames later this year. The existing multi-storey car park will remain in place until the new facility has been built. The first 24,000 sq.ft. retail unit will be constructed alongside the car park.

To supplement this work, funding has been secured to undertake improvements to the public space including new paving, lighting, street furniture and landscaping.

Gwyn Hall

The Council has rebuilt this much loved historic building into a truly modern arts and cultural venue which will inspire generations to come. The new Gwyn Hall incorporates a traditional auditorium theatre, 3D digital cinema, multipurpose studio as well as a café-bistro and interval bar. There are facilities for conferences and other corporate events.

Business Improvement District

Neath Port Talbot Council has been successful in securing Welsh Government funding to develop plans for a Business Improvement District (BID) in Neath Town Centre. The Welsh Government is supporting the development of additional BIDs in Wales as part of its commitment to encourage economic development and to deliver its new regeneration framework, Vibrant and Viable Places.

Once established, a BID delivers a sustainable financial model to a defined geographical area where businesses have voted to invest collectively in local improvements, in addition to those delivered by statutory authorities.

Bringing together local businesses and other partners, BID's have proved to be an effective structure for improving the trading environments and profitability of towns and cities around the world. Used in areas as diverse as Merthyr Tydfil and Manhatten, BIDs are developed, managed and paid for by the commercial sector by means of a BID levy to fund physical environmental enhancements.

Consultants were appointed in February 2014 have begun working with the local business community in order to make the decision on whether the BID proposal will be progressed to a formal delivery stage. The local authority, on behalf of the local BID group, submitted the initial feasibility report to the Welsh Government in July and are currently awaiting a decision on whether the group will be allowed to progress to campaign and ballot stage.

Neath Town Centre Consortium

A town centre consortium has been recently established, working in partnership with local businesses and other stakeholders to ensure the success of the town centre as a whole.

The objectives of the consortium have been set out as follows:

1) Enhance Communication & Knowledge amongst stakeholders regarding developments in Neath Town Centre.

2) Ensure efficient Promotion, Marketing, Research and Customer Service in Neath Town Centre.

3) Ensure Neath Town Centre improves and capitalises upon the existing resources – events, attractions, arts, culture, history, sports, retail, heritage & history.

For further information on how you can get involved with the consortium, email Gemma Nesbitt on g.m.nesbitt@npt.gov.uk .