A two-year programme commenced recently with the aim of finding infrastructure solutions to overcome parking and traffic pressures in the coastal village of Porthgain and the wider area.
One of North Pembrokeshire’s tourist honeypots, Porthgain has experienced increased congestion and traffic management issues in recent years as a result of increased visitor numbers.
Welsh Government’s Brilliant Basics Fund has awarded £268,000 to Pembrokeshire County Council to undertake the two-year scheme, in conjunction with Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and Pobol Porthgain. A further £62,000 in match funding has also been identified.
Local County Councillor Neil Prior has been working closely with Pobol Porthgain, PCNPA and PCC to drive the project forward.
Cllr Prior said: “This is a one-off opportunity for the village to address some of the issues that have been frequently reported to me over the last few years.
“It’s the result of a lot of hard work, regular engagement and dialogue with the residents of Porthgain, and whilst change can be difficult, what we take forward will ultimately be the decision of the village, and the role of the authorities is to support that.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to work alongside the resident’s group – Pobol Porthgain – to implement some positive solutions to the challenges that face a popular tourism destination like Porthgain.”
The work will be broken into two phases: feasibility, ecology and identification of options (year 1), followed by preferred option identification and construction (year 2).
The scheme will be supported by two ongoing studies: the Coastal Access Study and the Porthgain Masterplan (an independent study funded by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority).
Cllr Rhys Sinnett, Cabinet Member for Residents Services, said work will start soon on establishing baseline data.
“We’ll also be working with our partners and local residents to understand the key issues in the area, and what options are available,” he said. “This will be a great opportunity for anyone with experience of the issues locally to contribute to the scheme, and we look forward to hearing their views.”
