BRIDGEND Council have approved a £265,000 uplift in the budget for the development of Cosy Corner in Porthcawl this week, following issues with asbestos that was discovered at the site.
The £2.4m development will include five small retail units, public toilets and changing facilities, along with an outdoor children’s play area and public seating area with canopy, when completed, and is considered as an important part of the town’s sea-front regeneration.
However, following intrusive surveys on the land that was acquired by the local authority in 2020, it was discovered that legacy contamination issues were present in the south portion of the site, which resulted in the need for asbestos removal.
It means the cost of the project will now increase by an additional £265,000 for work such as importing 2,000 tonnes of new soil to bring the site to formation level, and replace material that was unsuitable as a result of potential asbestos contamination.
Officers in attendance noted that this modification in the contract’s cost was still within the total £2.8 million envelope given for the development of the site.
The move was supported unanimously by council bosses in attendance at the cabinet meeting on March 14, with Cllr Rhys Goode saying: “From a future generations point of view I think we can all say how thankful we should be that we did decide to undertake further surveys, because we all know the terrible effects asbestos can have if disturbed.”
The area has been at the centre of much controversy in the town over recent years, after a failed community driven project under the management of Credu Charity Ltd, proposed a state-of-the art maritime centre for Porthcawl, alongside Wales’ first Coastal Science and Discovery Centre.
The project ground to a halt in August 2020 however, after Visit Wales withdrew from the project claiming it was no longer financially viable due to a “significant increase in project costs.”
The land was later reclaimed by Bridgend by Bridgend Council who began work on the latest set of plans which were approved in 2022.
Cllr Hywel Williams added: “It’s vitally important that members of the public have absolute confidence in the council that they do their job properly and as expected.
“This is a very exciting for Cosy corner and Porthcawl, and it shows a real commitment from this administration to make Porthcawl a destination of choice in the county borough, and it’s critically important that residents have confidence that if we find a problem we will put it right. We’ve drawn a line under whatever’s gone on before, and this will be an exciting project going forward.”
