Two former mining villages in the Vale of Neath are set to get new business units, as part of a £13.5m UK Government scheme to bring jobs back to Britain’s former coalfield communities.
Resolven and Seven Sisters are among six locations across England, Scotland and Wales chosen to share the money, which will pay for new industrial developments to house small and medium-sized businesses.
The funding comes from the UK Government’s Growth Mission Fund, which will cover half the construction costs. The other half will be funded by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, a charity set up to create jobs and bring investment to former mining areas.
At Resolven, a 30,000 sq ft industrial development is proposed at the Vale of Neath Business Park.
At Seven Sisters, a larger 45,000 sq ft development is planned at Nant y Cafn Business Park.
There is, however, an important caveat for both Welsh sites. Unlike some of the other locations, the Resolven and Seven Sisters schemes are proposed only once the land has been purchased — expected later this summer — and planning permission has been secured.
That puts them a step behind the projects in Cowdenbeath in Fife and St Helens in Merseyside, where firm plans and job numbers have already been set out.
Across all six sites, the government says the developments will create hundreds of jobs and support thousands more, though it has not published individual job figures for the two Welsh sites.
The other locations sharing the funding are Thoresby in Nottinghamshire and Ashington in Northumberland.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said the money would help areas that had been “overlooked for decades.”
“Our investment in new industrial developments is one way we’re making it a stronger business destination where jobs and opportunity are created, not wasted,” she said.
“If you are an entrepreneur in a former coalfield area wanting to start your own business — or are already a business owner there wanting to expand your company — we are backing you.”
Andy Lock, chief executive of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, said the investment would deliver benefits for years to come.
“Our industrial developments will create hundreds of jobs and economic growth for the coalfields, while the income generated will support more grassroots community organisations and vulnerable people in the coalfields,” he said.
“This funding will change thousands of lives in coalfield communities, taking us another step forward to address the challenging legacy of the pit closures.”
The Trust says that once built, the sites will be self-sustaining, with rent from the units reinvested back into the local communities.
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens welcomed the investment in the two Neath Port Talbot sites.
“As a result of this investment, people and businesses in former South Wales coalfield communities will receive greater access to the jobs and opportunities they deserve,” she said.
“For too long, these communities have been left behind — with many people having been forced to leave their local areas to seek employment elsewhere.”
Welsh Labour MP for Neath and Swansea East, Carolyn Harris, whose constituency takes in the Vale of Neath, said the money would help workers and businesses in the area’s old mining communities.
“This is another example of the UK Government delivering jobs and economic growth across Wales, ensuring people can access good quality jobs where they are, rather than having to look further afield,” she said.
It is the latest pot of UK Government regeneration money aimed at Neath Port Talbot. The same government’s Pride in Place programme is separately putting £20m into the Upper Afan Valley, where a board chaired by former council chief executive Karen Jones will decide how the money is spent over the next decade.
The Vale of Neath has also drawn investment before, securing £17.7m from the Levelling Up Fund in 2023 to develop it as a heritage and visitor destination.
