SENEDD member Altaf Hussain is backing Porthcawl residents unhappy with developments currently underway in the town.
Mr Hussain visited Hillsboro Place where concerns have been raised about the new bus station currently under construction on land at Salt Lake opposite their homes.
Welsh Conservative Dr Hussain viewed the development along with resident John Berry who has written to BCBC Leader Huw David accusing the council of failing to consult with residents and describing the bus station as a “gargantuan blot on the landscape.”
Dr Hussain said: “I understand that no attempt was made by the council to ask residents of Hillsboro Place for their views on the bus station which is being built directly behind their homes. I am shocked by how big it is and how high it is and it will certainly dominate the view as people look across from the rear of their homes.
“People are telling me that with reduced bus services to Porthcawl – just two now run – this station is not needed and that local people prefer to carry on using the stops they already have at John Street. The view is that this is a £4m white elephant which local people didn’t want and certainly didn’t ask for. This is a case of those in authority doing what they think rather than consulting the people affected.”
Dr Hussain also heard that there are worries about the work now underway to convert the Porthcawl Hotel into 17 apartments. He was told that people in the street were not consulted and only heard recently that the development is being carried out by a social housing provider.
“Residents were left in the dark,” he said. “This is a massive building which backs onto Hillsboro Place. The entrance to these apartments is being moved from John Street to Hillsboro Place which will lead to an increase in taxis and other traffic going into the street. They are also having to put up with all the construction traffic including large lorries.
“I am disappointed to hear about lack of consultation by the council. It was the biggest complaint raised by residents at the recent public meeting I organised and I have raised this issue with the council leader and chief executive although I have not yet had a reply.”
The other points raised include worries about the council’s plans to replace car parking being lost at Salt Lake with a multi-storey car park to be built on the car park at Hillsboro Place.
Dr Hussain went on: “Nobody knows any details of exactly where it will go. How high and how big will it be, how much will it cost, who will build it and who will pay? If it is built right behind the houses it could well completely block out the views they currently enjoy over to Ogmore by Sea.
“I am also told that the car park stands on solid rock and constructing the foundations for the multi-storey will be a costly nightmare with implications for local residents. Perhaps the council should commission some ground explorations to see if their scheme is viable because if not, they will have destroyed the car park used by day trippers at Salt Lake without a viable alternative. This would have massive repercussions on the future of Porthcawl as a seaside resort. With nowhere to park, people will just go elsewhere.”