Affordable housing up for grabs at Groeswen

Local families wanting to take a step on the housing ladder can take advantage of a new affordable housing plan at the Groeswen Parc development in Margam.

Under the “Moving Up” home ownership scheme, young families with children currently living in the Taibach and Margam wards will be given priority to purchase one of twelve 3-bedroom houses that are available from Coastal Housing.

Individuals can buy a property outright for the discount price of £87,500 with a mortgage. Currently the market value of the houses is £129,000. The difference between the market value and the purchase price will be loaned by Coastal via a Homebuy loan. There is nothing to pay on the Homebuy element until the property is sold, at which point, Coastal will receive a percentage of the sale price which will be calculated at the time of purchase.

New, affordable properties in Port Talbot are at a premium and particularly in the current economic climate, young people in our area are finding it increasingly difficult to gain a foothold on the property ladder. This scheme provides them with a valuable opportunity to buy a home close to their friends and relatives without breaking the bank.

The Moving Up scheme is an innovative way for the benefits of the Groeswen Parc development to be channelled back into the existing community in Taibach & Margam. I am especially glad that local hardworking families in the area have been given priority status in this instance. These are good quality, secure homes at a cost that makes it possible for more people in the area to enter into the housing market than would otherwise have been the case.

More information on the Groeswen Parc Scheme can be found here: http://www.npt.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=5958

The deadline for requesting an application pack is noon Friday, 12 February 2010.

Afan Lido latest

This is the latest round up on the aftermath of the Afan Lido fire. I have been reassured by council officers that more regular updates will appear on the Council website so keep checking there as well to keep up to speed.

"A structural assessment of the Afan Lido complex has been carried out by independent structural engineers. This has confirmed that very severe damage has resulted from the fire to the building fabric and primary structure of the pool hall. The report advises that extensive demolition is necessary and officers will recommend a way forward to the Council once financial and technical appraisals for demolition have been completed. It is likely that the whole of the pool complex, including the reception and gym areas will be demolished.

The Bowls hall which occupies a nearby but separate building has now been returned to Celtic Leisure and is in operation.

Afan Lido F.C. – officers have met with representatives of the Club and agreed to assist the Club with independent water and electricity supplies. A water supply is now in place and subject to the timing of connection the Club will have its own electricity supply within two to three weeks. In the meantime a temporary supply has been arranged

Afan F.M. Radio Station - they have relocated off-site from the Squash Courts within the Sports Hall and are now housed, temporarily, in the top floor of Aberafan House.

Arrangements have been made to schedule school swimming into alternative venues and consultation is ongoing with schools in order that appropriate timetable and transportation arrangements can be made.

A range of options is being explored for the clubs which use the complex and the emerging picture is that alternative arrangements can be made for the majority of Clubs and major user groups

Air testing and swab testing of the dry side Sports Hall has been completed. Some clean-up around the access areas and toilet areas is necessary before any access for belongings, etc, will be possible. That work has been ordered and in due course appropriate arrangements will be communicated to the public for private belongings to be returned. Public access to the area will not be possible.

The Sports Hall external doors have been secured with metal paneling, as have the front doors to the Aqua dome to prevent unauthorised access.

The external air monitoring continues, although since the day of the fire, there have been no tests showing anything other than normal results. The position will be kept under review.

An Engineers' report has been forwarded to the Council’s insurers, along with an appropriate indemnity."

Neath Port Talbot Courier

Many readers of this blog may recall that I previously put together the Community Column covering Taibach, Margam and Port Talbot for the Neath Port Talbot Guardian before it was closed by Media Wales back last year.

Since then, of course, the Evening Post has brought back the Neath Port Talbot Courier to try and fill the gap. As it stands, the Courier is the only weekly paper to specifically cover our County Borough and so provides the only means for many people to stay in touch with what is going on.

From the beginning of February, they are resuming their own “local correspondent” feature and I have been fortunate enough to have been selected to write the one covering the same parts of Port Talbot as I did before.

These columns give a great opportunity for groups, organisations and individuals to be recognised for the hard work and dedication that they show in contributing to community life. It is a chance to publicise local meetings and events.

I will try and include as wide a range of articles as possible and as well as all of the above, I can also publish family events such as births and special wedding anniversaries.

If you have any thing that you would like me to feature then please e-mail me – ptnews79@yahoo.co.uk or call me on 01639 687435.

PACT Meeting - Change of Date

Contrary to the article carried in the Evening Post before Christmas, the next Taibach Ward PACT Meeting will now take place on Tuesday, 12 January 2010 at 6.30pm in Taibach Community Centre and not on the 5th as previously advertised.

The two priorities for action decided at the last one back in November were general youth annoyance in the area (very much an ongoing issue) and abandoned vehicles and other matters in Prince Street . There has been a significant improvement in both situations thanks mainly to an intensified presence from the local police and a more effective partnership between various agencies in respect of the recent raid on Prince Street Garage.

If you have any crime and disorder complaints that you would like to discuss directly with the police then please come to the meeting, or even better, contact them directly via the Our Bobby website.

NPTCVS

Are you involved in a local voluntary organisation or community group and need any help or advice on how to develop or fundraise?

The Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service is holding a series of events throughout the County Borough to let people know about their services which include funding and volunteering advice. They will be in our area on Thursday, 07 January 2010 between 1.30pm and 6pm in St Theodore's Church Hall, Talbot Road if you want to find out more. Alternatively, you can contact them directly on 01639 631246 or e-mail info@nptcvs.org.uk.

Environment programme brings improvements to Taibach Ward

A programme of measures designed to improve the quality of local street and road surfaces began last week in Taibach, Margam & Goytre.

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council’s Urban Improvement Initiative, which runs over the next three years, will make a huge impact on upgrading the condition of streets in the Taibach Ward that are situated off the main roads.

Streets that are benefiting in the first year of the project include Earl Rd, East Street, Emroch St, Field Terrace, Geifr Rd, Graig Ave, Greenfield Ave, Landore Ave, Maesmelyn St, Pellau Rd, Rhanallt St, Tanygroes Place, Twll-yn-y-Wal Rd, Wern Rd and Woodland Ave. In addition to the roads being resurfaced, street furniture such as nameplates, bins and benches will be renewed where appropriate. There will also be extensive landscaping work carried out in Twll-yn-y-Wal Gardens.

Enhancing and improving the local environment has proved to be a big issue whenever we have held our street surgeries and spoken to people on their doorsteps. We regularly receive complaints about potholes and other hazards in certain streets and major investment on this scale will go a long way in addressing the problems.

The initiative will make huge difference to the appearance of streets and open spaces right across Taibach, Margam & Goytre and make the roads safer for motorists and pedestrians alike. There will inevitably be some short term disruption for residents whilst the work is being carried out but we are working with the community and the council to ensure that this is kept to a minimum.

Prince Street Garage Update

Those of you who were in the Prince Street area on Wednesday morning will have noticed quite a bit of police activity taking place around the garage there.

The garage has been an ongoing priority at the local PACT meetings for a variety of reasons and thank to the co-operation of residents, police, various Government agencies and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, it appears that we might have a had a positive result.

Below is the official statement issued by South Wales Police on the outcome of the raid:

The Port Talbot Neighbourhood Policing Team has carried out an operation at a local garage which has been the subject of concern in the community.

Residents have been concerned about activity at Prince Street Garage in Margam and have raised the issue at local PACT meetings.

Officers yesterday teamed up with colleagues from HM Revenue & Customs and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) to execute a warrant at the premises.

Police arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of drugs offences. Enquiries are ongoing in relation to suspected stolen property at the premises.

Separate enquiries are being conducted by VOSA in respect of MOT testing practices at the garage and by HM Revenue & Customs into suspected use of red diesel in vehicles.

Port Talbot Neighbourhood Police Inspector Karl Eenmaa said: “The community has been extremely concerned about the comings and goings at the garage for some time.

“This was a multi-agency operation between the local Neighbourhood Policing Team, VOSA and HM Revenue & Customs and investigations are underway into several different aspects of the garage.

“Neighbourhood Policing is all about working with the community to address their concerns and judging by what residents have been telling us in PACT meetings, this garage has been a source of concern which we have acted upon.”