Below is a letter addressed to Cllr Huw David from Margaret Minhinnick, representing Sustainable Wales/Cymru Gynaliadwy, Porthcawl Chamber of Trade, and Better Porthcawl Partnership, voicing concerns about BCBC’s decision not to close off part of James Street for the Victorian Day festivities.
14.12.23
FAO Cllr Huw David, Leader of Bridgend Borough Council.
Hillsboro’ and James Street, Porthcawl.
Dear Huw
I am writing on behalf of Sustainable Wales/Cymru Gynaliadwy, Porthcawl Chamber of Trade, and Better Porthcawl Partnership.
It was good to see you on Saturday Dec 2nd at Porthcawl’s Victorian Day and have you visit our Fairtrade café.
However, I want to formally express how disappointed and exasperated we are with BCBC’s decision not to allow us to close off part of James Street, Porthcawl, for the ‘Victorian Day’.
Plans had been put in place by Churches Together, Porthcawl Fairtrade Group, Tools for Self-Reliance, the Coop gazebo, alongside SUSSED and Sustainable Wales. We had been planning games, street food, workshops, raffles and tombolas. Offering freebies, tastings, fundraising activities and also organizing display tables to promote ourselves and gain new volunteers.
For all of us, the problem lies in the continued failure to manage traffic in and away from Hillsboro’ Place.
Saturday, December 2 was to have been an occasion when voluntary and church groups might enjoy a creative occasion.
The damage done to existing properties in Hillsboro’ Place and SUSSED in James Street, by turning vehicles is well documented.
Our volunteers in SUSSED can tell you that traffic on a Saturday in James Street should not be compared with traffic on working days.
We all believe the continuing failure to improve traffic flow in Hillsboro’ Place is, and will be, a blight on the town’s regeneration plans for the future.
We feel that plans should be considered to create a through-way along Hillsboro’, out to the roundabout, for the vehicles taking goods to the back of shops in John Street.
This issue does not seem to be part of the ‘Placemaking Plans’. We urge BCBC to take urgent steps to rectify what seemingly appears to be an intractable problem.
Indeed, the public access from the Hillsboro’ car park into the town centre remains unwelcoming (fortunately we have some planters organized by SUSSED volunteers which help)
Surely this area must be a vital part of ‘regeneration’ of Porthcawl.
I look forward to your response.
Margaret Minhinnick.
