£34m revamp marks town 'big idea'

The Angel Way bypass is intended to cut congestion in the Rhymney valley through Bargoed

An event has been held to mark progress in the first phase of a £34m revamp of a south Wales valleys town.

The regeneration in Bargoed, Caerphilly county, will take 10 years to complete and include the new Angel Way by-pass, bus station and retail park.

The road improvements along the A469, aimed at easing congestion, are expected to be finished by early 2012.

Economy and Transport Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones, on a visit, said it would be a "catalyst for future growth".

The scheme, which has taken a decade to plan, will involve a rebranding of the town with the phrase "Bargoed's Big Idea."

Developments include:

• A Rhymney river bridge - 130m (426ft) long, and 24m (78ft) above the valley floor.
• Bargoed Newydd viaduct - 200m (656ft) long crossing the valley from Angel Way to new retail park and linking the communities of Gilfach, Bargoed and Aberbargoed.
• New 2.2km (1.3 mile) relief road, a new bus station and cycle track routes to form an integrated transport hub around the existing railway station, with a new 90-space park-and-ride.
• New railway tunnel

Mr Jones said it was one of the most ambitious regeneration programmes in Wales.

"Bargoed is a proud valleys community and we are entering a very positive new phase in its history with these exciting developments," he said.

'Major shopping destination'

The transport developments are part of the first phase of a 10-year regeneration scheme for the Bargoed area.

The retail area has been built from material excavated from the tip of the former Bargoed Colliery, which closed more than 30 years ago.

The plans involve rebranding the town with the phrase "Bargoed's Big Idea"

It hopes to attract a foodstore, cinema, new shops, housing and a restaurant/public house.

A new health centre and affordable housing has already been built.

Mr Jones added: "Over the next three to five years Bargoed will undergo massive transformation and become a major shopping destination for many people living in the mid and upper valleys."

He said work by the assembly government and Caerphilly council would "continue aggressively" over the next few years.