A £20 MILLION regeneration plan for a Gwent town centre will be submitted for approval to the UK Government which has pushed the project back two years.
The cash, spread over a ten-year period, was announced for Cwmbran by the previous Conservative government in October 2023 under its towns fund.
There had been uncertainty over previously announced spending plans following the election of the new Labour government, in July last year, but the cash for Cwmbran was confirmed in last October’s budget.
However, Torfaen Borough Council has said the funding – which will be controlled by a board of business and community representatives – isn’t now expected to be available until 2026.
The board was established in April last year and held an engagement exercise during the summer to establish community priorities.
It will review the work already carried out when the UK Government publishes information on its aims for the programme. It has yet to publish its new prospectus for the towns fund and the programme won’t now open until April 2026.
A council spokeswoman said: “The new UK administration are in the process of amending the programme prospectus in light of their specific priorities. The Town Board is awaiting the publication of the new prospectus, and when received, the work to date will be reviewed and tailored to meet the requirements of the new prospectus.
“The programme as a whole has been delayed to allow for this, with the funding profile now not commencing until April 2026.
“Cwmbran’s Town Board remains confident that a suitable plan can be produced in line with local community priorities established during a period of public and stakeholder engagement which was held last summer (2024). The plan will be submitted to the UK government for its approval in line with the prescribed timescales when these are made available.”
The council is also developing its own ten-year plan to guide investment in the regeneration of Cwmbran known as a placemaking plan which it consulted on during the autumn.
A final version of that plan is due to be considered by the Labour-controlled council’s cabinet this spring.