Padel courts, crazy golf, surf lessons and street food could all be on Porthcawl’s seafront as early as next summer.
Bridgend County Borough Council wants local businesses to run pop-ups and temporary attractions at Coney Beach while the longer-term regeneration plans progress.
The ones that do well could end up with a permanent place in the finished waterfront, the council says.
It is also looking at children’s play areas and other family attractions. The mix could change from season to season, to give people a reason to keep coming back.
When the Coney Beach site will be ready
The site is expected to be cleared by the end of March, the council says. The first new uses could open after that, subject to planning.
Metropolitan Demolition is doing the work for the Welsh Government, which owns the site.
The old Coney Beach funfair and the Beachcomber are coming down. The council held the work back until the summer season was over.
The amusement park closed for good in October last year, after 107 years on the seafront.
This summer, a seasonal funfair at Salt Lake filled the gap, with a big wheel as its centrepiece.
Will the Coney Beach walkway close during the demolition?
The seafront walkway along Coney Beach, between the town and Sandy Bay, will stay open for most of the work, the council says.
It gave the answer to the campaign group Porthcawl SOS, which shared the council’s reply on Facebook.
The main disruption is expected on a small number of days in December, when the old arcade building is due to be demolished. Exact timings will be published nearer the time.
On some of those days, the route may not be suitable for people with mobility needs, the council warned. Closures will be advertised in advance, with other ways round wherever possible.
Access to the beach from Mackworth Road, and along the Eastern Promenade, will not be affected at any point.
The Welsh Government manages its own contractors, and the council says it will work with both to keep disruption to a minimum.
Padel, surf lessons and pop-ups: who the council wants to hear from at Coney Beach
The council wants to hear from mobile food and drink traders, sports and leisure providers, and businesses that could run from mobile units or containers.
No operators have been chosen yet. The final mix will depend on how much interest there is, how the plans develop and planning rules, according to the council.
A formal expression of interest exercise is being prepared, with more details to come. Businesses can register now by emailing Sandybay@bridgend.gov.uk.
Cllr Colin Davies, the council’s cabinet member for housing and regeneration, said the aim was to make sure “the seafront stays open and busy for the people who live here and the visitors who keep coming back”.
It would also keep the offer fresh, he added, and give “the businesses that do well a route to a permanent place in the finished waterfront”.
The Buccaneer, and the bigger Porthcawl Waterfront plans
The call for businesses comes weeks after the council announced that the Buccaneer had been saved from demolition.
The 1930s seafront bar is to be restored by the council and the Welsh Government, possibly as a restaurant or café with shops and kiosks.
When it announced the rescue, the council said it was planning stopgap attractions from padel courts and crazy golf to surf schools, with details promised “very soon”.
The work on the site now is going ahead under existing permissions. It is separate from the planning decision on the wider Porthcawl Waterfront masterplan, which the council says is still under consideration.
That masterplan, reshaped last November after residents pushed back, was cut to around 980 homes.
It also promised an open-air lido and new funfair rides at Salt Lake.
Discover more from Swansea Bay News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
