The People and Places Partnership have been appointed by the Centre for Regeneration Excellence Wales and the Welsh Government to help collate and analyse town centre data that track trends in communities across Wales. The work is part of the baseline evaluation scheme for the Welsh Government’s Vibrant and Viable Places (VVP) and will also draw on data for other communities across Wales.
One of the communities that People and Places have helped to evaluate and is part of the VVP programme is Port Talbot in Neath. Port Talbot is to receive over £9.64million as part of the Welsh Government’s programme. This will be used to fund a range of projects including town centre housing developments; an integrated transport hub Hub; and the creation of Plaza Arts and Cultural Centre. The now derelict Plaza Cinema is where Anthony Hopkins developed his love of cinema and the building is set to benefit from a £million investment to transform it in to an arts and cultural centre in the heart of the town. Overall the planned work aims to transform the living and working environment of the town centre and the evaluation worked by People and Places enable the impacts to be tracked and compared to changes in other communities.
Hopkins , Sheen, Burton…If ever there was town to demonstrate that is vibrancy comes from its people, this is demonstrated by the celebrated thespian links of Port Talbot, one the communities that is part of the town centre valuation being undertaken by People and Places.
