people • places • business waterfrontregeneration strategy Neath Port Talbot Waterfront Regeneration Strategy Contents Introduction 3 Regeneration Framework 16 Area Appraisal 4 Delivery 24 Challenges & Achievements 6 Appendix I 25 Spatial Strategy 10 Action Plan 26-28 Strategic Goals 14 Introduction This document defines the Council’s strategy for the physical and economic regeneration of the Waterfront area of the County Borough. The area forms part of the Swansea Bay Waterfront and contains major regeneration sites and projects within Neath Port Talbot that are crucial for the future prosperity of the County Borough and the sub-region. The Council recognises that quality • Providing new sites and premises This Strategy draws together of plac e is fundamental to delivering • Securing investment a programme for the physical the sustainable economic and social • Enhancing commercial, industrial, regeneration of the Waterfront and objectives of the Council and this tourism and residential areas provides the overarching local Strategy will play a pivotal role in • Improving transport and framework within which specific delivering positive and lasting change. communications regeneration programmes and projects Physical regeneration activity • Facilitating new uses for buildings will be delivered by the Council and its contributes to this change process partners. The Strategy will sit alongside • Removing dereliction and through: contamination and complement the Authority’s other regeneration strategies as being key • Upgrading the physical fabric drivers for the delivery of economic • Enhancing the image of the area regeneration initiatives within the County Borough. Neath Port Talbot Waterfront Regeneration Strategy 3 1 Neath Port Talbot Waterfront Regeneration Strategy Area Appraisal Geography The Waterfront spans the coastal corridor of Neath Port Talbot from Margam in the east to the borders of Swansea to the west and includes the town of Port Talbot as well as a number of smaller urban settlements. In physical terms, the area is smaller stations at Baglan, Briton Ferry These communities grew up alongside characterised by a strip of urban and Skewen. There is a deep water the heavy industries that dominated development along the coastal corridor harbour and dock facilities at Port the local economy. which can be separated into Talbot and wharf facilities at Neath residential, industrial, commercial and Abbey. The Afan and Neath Valleys Industrial leisure zones. The M4 and the London open onto the coastal corridor and The Corus Steel Works dominates the – Swansea mainline railway run inland the urban area is framed with hills industrial land use and is a major from the coast with the and open countryside. employer, supporting a community main railway station at of subcontractors and associated The main land use zones are Port Talbot and industries. The withdrawal of BP has described below: left large areas of brownfield land at Residential Baglan and Llandarcy, formerly BP The residential areas of Margam, Chemical and Oil Refinery sites. Taibach, Port Talbot, Aberavon, Other areas include Kenfig Industrial Sandfields, Baglan, Skewen Estate, Port Talbot Industrial Estate, and Briton Ferry lie within Neath Abbey Wharf and Docks and the Waterfront area. Baglan Industrial Estate. Land Use Zones Residential Leisure Industrial Port Talbot Town Centre 4 1 Commercial is the official measure of deprivation Briton Ferry West, Sandfields and The town centre of Port Talbot is for small areas in Wales. The Index Aberavon are designated Communities the main commercial centre of the analyses small area statistics within First areas, as being amongst the most Waterfront although the other eight domains of Income, depr ived wards in Wales. Much has communities all have smaller Employment, Health, Education / been done through community based commercial areas that cater for the Skills / Training, Housing, Physical initiatives to improve quality of life in more basic food and material needs. Environment, Geographical Access these areas and partnerships are in The Aberafan Shopping Centre to Services and Community Safety. place and delivering projects to provides an all weather environment The WIMD can be used to identify address issues of deprivation. for shopping in Port Talbot town the spread and concentration of centre. There is also a retail park at deprivation across geographical areas Overall index of Multiple Deprivation Baglan Moors. on Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs). Neath Port Talbot The WIMD is useful as a tool to guide By lower level Super Output Areas Leisure funding and policy intervention in There are large areas dedic ated to order to address deprivation found in outdoor leisure use including Margam particular areas. The WIMD ranks Park, Aberafan Seafront and local the score of each of these areas for parks and gardens. The Apollo Cinema, eight domains of deprivation. at Aberafan Seafront is a good quality There are 42 LSOAs in the Waterfront indoor facility. The Princess Royal area of Neath Port Talbot. The Table Theatre in Port Talbot is a popular In Appendix I shows the ranking of venue for music, shows and other the LSOAs for each of the WIMD performances.The National Cycle domains. The lower the score, the Network runs through the Waterfront more severe the deprivation. corridor. Most deprived The statistics show that there are 1 to 190 Socio-Economic Characteristics concentrations of deprivation in 191 to 380 381 to 570 The communities within the Sandfields, Aberavon, Bryn and 571 to 950 Waterfront havearea a combined Cwmavon, particularly in the Income, 951 to 1896 population of 62,510. The Welsh Index employment, Health, Education and Least deprived of Multiple Deprivation 2008 (WIMD) Physical Environment domains. Waterfront Regeneration Area Neath Port Talbot Waterfront Regeneration Strategy 5 Neath Port Talbot Waterfront Regeneration Strategy Challenges and achievements Urban areas The urban areas of Neath Port Talbot have undergone major physical, economic and environmental changes over recent decades as a consequence of national economic changes and the resultant structural changes to the local economy. In response to this, Neath Port Talbot has sought to modernise and diversify its economy. This transition has raised several Skewen, Baglan, Margam and In meeting these challenges, challenges for the physical Sandfields. considerable regeneration work has regeneration of the Waterfront area The main challenges facing already been undertaken in these of the County Borough, which need Port Talbot town centre and the centres including: to be addressed in the priorities and other commercial centres are: • Public realm enhancements programmes of this Strategy. • Retentio n of retail uses within • Environmental improvements Town Centre Renewal the town centre • Commercial property grant initiative The Council recognises the importance • Competition from out of centre of its town centres and their role at retailing the heart of the community and a • Quality of investment in hub for many of the services and commercial buildings facilities that meet the social, cultural and commercial needs of the area. • Quality of public space/ Port Talbot is the main town in the new development Waterfront Zone, which serves the • Provision of sites for new majority of communities along the development coastal corridor and the communities • Creation of a distinct image of the Afan Valley. There are other and retail offer smaller commercial centres at Taibach, Aberavon, Briton Ferry, 6 Port Talbot Town Centre This activity needs to be continued The scale of these sites and nature Provision of Sites and Premises and expanded if the challenges facing of their former uses present unique The Council recognises that it needs to town and local centres are to be challenges for their regeneration. work with its partners to ensure that addressed. The creation and The main issues to be faced in sites and premises are made available development of retail sites in and developing these sites include: which meet the needs of modern around the town centre will be of • Development of site master plans businesses. The supply of a range of particular importance to its future good quality premises in the right • Provision of Infrastructure health and vitality. locations will help existing and new • Securing new development businesses establish and expand Development of Major Sites • Relocation of existing uses which will in turn lead to an increase There are several major development • Land assembly in employment opportunities. sites along the Waterfront corridor that • Site contamination / dereliction The Waterfront has a number of will play a central role in shaping the business parks and industrial estates • Flooding issues fut ure prosperity of the area. Many of which help meet the needs of local these sites have been vacated by heavy The development timescale of many enterprises such as: industry which has left large areas of of these sites is long term, requiring • Baglan Industrial Estate brownfield land for development. a firm commitment to the process by The following major development sites • Baglan Energy Park the Council and its regeneration are included in this Strategy and the • Kenfig Industrial Estate partners. regeneration process has already • D’arcy Business Park commenced on some sites: • Port Talbot Industrial Estate • Baglan Bay • Baglan Energy Park • Coed D’Arcy • Peripheral Distributor Road (PDR) Corridor – Port Talbot Docks, Green