The formatted response letter can be downloaded here.
PORTHCAWL MASTERPLAN
WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT RESPONSE
Sustainable Wales Trustees and SUSSED Directors’ January 2026
Background.
Porthcawl-based charity, Sustainable Wales (SW) has responded since 2018 to Bridgend County Borough Council politicians and planning department staff, regarding development of plans to reinvigorate the Porthcawl waterfront along the Eastern Promenade/Salt Lake and Coney Beach.
SW’s main emphasis: high quality sustainability (with significant account of the climate and ecological emergencies), design and democratic participation by the community. The idea to encourage ‘co-production’, a process where professionals work in partnership with people who have ‘lived’ experience, in an informed, deliberative and constructive way, to share the responsibility of achieving mutual solutions.
Over the years community participation has been improved, but there is still significant community concern, some adversarial. Without opportunity to engage residents at the earliest onset to establish a joint vision and develop ‘ownership’ using co-production techniques i.e. Informed and democratic debate, then criticism is inevitable.
2026 Masterplan Comment.
The Sustainable Wales team and SUSSED Directors would like to convey that overall in the Waterfront Development Plan there is much to applaud.
As the planning department will know, concern currently is largely around housing, infrastructure and traffic. Many stakeholders consider the plan for Porthcawl as an urban development, rather than a place of destination.
Overall, we feel that the design must enhance quality of life through accessible and nature-rich green spaces, promoting physical and mental health, encouraging active living, less car-dependency whilst engendering pride.
Earlier ‘Better Porthcawl’ the network of local community groups instigated by Sustainable Wales has already included our general concerns after seeing the Masterplan in February 2025.
Here, we would like to make some further points... First, the Replacement LDP 2018-2023 emphasised Porthcawl as being a prime seaside and tourist resort. However, we know that traders in town have already experienced reduced footfall since the closure of the Grand Pavilion, which will not fully reopen until October 2027. They note that Porthcawl funfair also closed permanently in October 2025. They are asking…
Q. How is the Town Centre and wider trading area being maintained/enhanced throughout the phasing of the various construction activities of regeneration?
1. The Design and Project Brief to potential developers and contractors
Q. How will this be requested, evaluated regularly and subsequently monitored?
· The project briefing is particularly important in response to legislation in Wales, because of:
· a): the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015, https://www.futuregenerations.wales/about-us/future-generations-act/.
This explicitly requires projects to be innovative and provide tangible environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits for future generations.
Also…
· b): the Environment of (Wales) Act 2016 https://gov.wales/environment-wales-act-2016-factsheets
and the newer…
· c): Social Partnership and Procurement Act 2023, www.gov.wales/social-partnership-and-public-procurement-wales-act requiring evidence of sourcing environmentally friendly and locally supplied goods and services.
e.g. Future-proofing buildings and infrastructure to the risks of flooding, overheating, drought and fire; increasing tree planting, permeable surfacing and multifunctional urban green spaces; providing a choice of affordable and safe transport options; and moving towards a circular economy that operates within ecological limits and places greater value on health, wellbeing and resilience; offering good public spaces and support for the local economy.
2. Access and Mobility are of serious concern.
Q. Are we planning a Car-Dependant Community?
With a large increase in housing and accommodation in the masterplan one must ask the question above. Porthcawl has a very poor public transport service, making car ownership a necessity.
Sustainable Wales agrees with many other NGO’s that reducing the number of cars on the road should be a priority for all levels of government. This necessity is driven by climate change, the need to improve air quality and health, and to alleviate seasonal parking problems.
The ideal would be to have a rail link to reconnect with the main line via Pyle Station or to Bridgend, onto Cardiff and Swansea.
There is also an urgent need to improve greater accessibility and frequency, to and from, the public transport 4-bay Metro link in Porthcawl.
The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 requires an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, transport accounting for 13% here. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) recently stated that health improvements were among the most significant co-benefits of taking action to address the nature and climate emergencies. Low carbon community ideas would include:
· Planning for community car-share parking, bike stands and rapid EV charging points.
· Communities that own their own energy supply/charging stations could also operate a not-for-profit car club.
· Mobility as a service will become an increasingly attractive alternative. In this model, private citizens choose not to own a car but instead have a contract or service agreement with a supplier such as a car club or taxi on demand scheme.
· Also, 20mph signage would be helpful to reduce emissions in public and residential areas.
3. The Built Environment and New Homes Challenge. Construction and design (Residential, new homes, flats, supermarket, shops development, walkways etc)
Q. Thus, how will the Porthcawl Regeneration building contracts stipulate the types of expectations outlined below?
Q. Will developers also engage stakeholders in the co-creation of the design outcomes?
Welsh Government Planning Policy 2018 legislation secures a presumption in favour of sustainable development. ‘Sustainable places’ are the goal of the land-use planning system in Wales. (Planning Policy Wales Edition 10).
New homes, therefore, should be built to be low-carbon, energy and water-efficient, with appropriate ventilation and climate resilience, using locally sourced building materials and workforce. Buildings should be designed for adaptability, deconstruction and reuse at the end of their lives, in line with the development of the circular economy.
Design could include energy-producing features – houses with their own power stations - solar panels, etc) and battery storage. Thus, they produce enough energy to balance their overall demand, making them energy neutral. Alternatively building renewable community, neighbourhood and local energy ownership schemes - saving the average householder over hundreds of £’s per year.
The costs of building to tight specifications should not be prohibitive, getting the design right from the outset is far cheaper than retrofitting later.
The new walkways we expect to be designed with shaded areas and awareness of the risks of overheating. For example, less tarmac, provision of trees, etc on streets and potable water fountains, vegetation on roofs and consideration thus for pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and electric vehicle owners.
There must also be a focus on ambitious water efficiency, property-level flood protection, sustainable drainage systems, cultural and green spaces.
Importantly, the our group would hope that Porthcawl designs are more architecturally interesting than those attached - pictures attached (Cardiff, Penarth, Barry). We would wish that the adopted style contains some characteristics of the area, possibly from the past.
4. Public Sector Contracts – Procurement Considerations
Q. Will this be evidenced?
As the Welsh Government owns a large part of the Coney beach site, it has the power through procurement to tackle some of the biggest challenges, and will be expected to adhere to its own policies with the developers.
Since the construction sector accounts for 11% of the UK’s carbon emissions, using current standard methods and high-carbon materials, would undermine the country’s ambitions to achieve net zero carbon by 2050.
Procurement, where possible, should thus take into consideration all stages of a product’s lifecycle - from raw materials, manufacture, transport and distribution, supply company/shop, worker/child exploitation, to consumer use, reuse and then disposal.
Sustainable Wales expects that the Social Partnership and Public Procurement Act to be used extending requirements to the private sector. The Social and Public Procurement Act.
5. Cultural Opportunity
Q. How will such opportunity be provided during the construction?
Art and culture are crucial to sustainability and human wellbeing, encouraging creativity, innovation and enjoyment, widening economic opportunity. We are social animals, wishing to interact, enjoy experiences and time together.
Sustainable Wales team hope we can develop a convivial society, where people embrace social contact, and enjoy shared experiences, through time spent in nature, arts, and community-driven cultural/historical themed activities.
We look forward to seeing future development.
On behalf of Sustainable Wales Team and SUSSED Directors
Margaret Minhinnick,
Director, Sustainable Wales and SUSSED