PORTHCAWL: ‘Porthcawl Eye’ big wheel opens over the seafront for the summer holidays

Porthcawl has a new seafront landmark: a giant white observation wheel that some visitors have already nicknamed the “Porthcawl Eye”, according to the council.

The big wheel has opened at Salt Lake in time for the school summer holidays, towering over Sandy Bay as the centrepiece of the town’s new seasonal funfair of modern family rides.

It arrives in Porthcawl’s first summer since the permanent closure of the town’s iconic Coney Beach amusement park, with the new funfair announced in March as the town prepared for life after Coney Beach.

The funfair forms part of Bridgend County Borough Council and Welsh Government plans for regenerating the waterfront, which promised all-new rides to act as iconic new seafront landmarks when the final masterplan was unveiled last November.

Cllr Colin Davies, the council’s cabinet member for regeneration and housing, said the wheel was “proving to be hugely popular” and the funfair had been “a big hit”.

With the wheel opening for the start of the holidays and a new cleaning regime in place on Coney Beach, a trip to the seaside would be “even more memorable” this summer, he said.

Alongside the rides, a range of new waterfront concessions have been licensed by the council after being openly advertised, offering beach activities and refreshments from crepes, waffles and ice creams to sandwiches, wraps and hot and cold drinks.

Three of the traders who previously ran stalls and kiosks at Coney Beach, under private arrangements with the former funfair’s operators, are among them. Cllr Davies said it was “great to see” they had successfully applied.

The Beachcomber’s last summer

Away from the rides, the regeneration work continues, and it carries a farewell.

The council has demolished a number of seafront kiosks which it said suffered from problems including sub-standard electrical wiring.

And the former Beachcomber building’s days are numbered. Internal work began in April, including invasive pre-demolition surveys that mean the building is no longer suitable for public use.

Cllr Davies said the council would wait until the summer season is over before demolition takes place, to avoid inconveniencing visitors, residents and local businesses.

Salt Lake and the surrounding waterfront form the wider regeneration area where new homes and public spaces are planned, with the £1.3m transformation of the Hillsboro South car park already under way.

Looking further ahead, the council is developing plans for an expanded range of seasonal activities and facilities for summer 2027, with more concession opportunities to come. Cllr Davies said to watch out for further announcements “very soon”.

The Beachcomber will come down when the season ends. Until then, the wheel keeps turning over Sandy Bay.