Bridgend County Borough Council has confirmed that it is seeking further updates on the status of the community-driven project to develop a maritime centre in Porthcawl.
It follows recent media coverage and an announcement from the charity Credu, who are the organisation developing the £5.5m project, where they described it as being ‘at serious risk.’
Councillor Dr Charles Smith said: “Following media coverage which emerged over the weekend, Bridgend County Borough Council is seeking further updates on news that Visit Wales has withdrawn its financial backing from Credu’s plans for developing a multi-purpose maritime centre on land based at Cosy Corner.
“Whether it has been through advice around planning, highways and regeneration issues, the leasing of the land at Cosy Corner or the granting of planning permission for the development, Bridgend County Borough Council has supported this community-driven project from the start.
“While it is extremely disappointing to hear that the plans may have stalled, it is also important to note that it remains a separate project to the council’s own plans for the regeneration of the Salt Lake and Eastern Promenade areas, which are ongoing.
“In the last few years, Porthcawl has benefitted from more than £11m investment into projects ranging from Porthcawl Marina and the new sea defences at Town Beach to the Jennings Building redevelopment and the Rest Bay Watersports Centre.
“Our townscape heritage initiative has restored a number of premises in the seafront area, including the historic Harlequin building, and the council resolved a development deadlock last year which is enabling us to pursue the next phase of regeneration in Porthcawl and deliver millions of pounds of further investment into the area.
“We remain committed towards delivering sustainable regeneration for the benefit of residents and visitors, and are seeking updates from Credu and Visit Wales concerning the current status of the maritime centre project as a matter of urgency.”