Pontypridd town centre's £38m redevelopment completed

The development was pushed ahead by the local council after years of failed private sector projects

A £38m town centre transformation to replace a derelict 1960s shopping centre has been completed.

Llys Cadwyn (Chain Court) has taken the place of the former Taff Vale shopping centre in Pontypridd.

Rhondda Cynon Taf council took charge of the site in 2015 after years of failed private sector projects.

Cabinet member Robert Bevan said its completion heralded a "bright future" for the town after the calamities of Storm Dennis and coronavirus.

The last of the old shopping centre buildings was demolished in 2017, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The former Taff Vale shopping centre as it looked in 1967

A new footbridge opened earlier in a separate project

Transport for Wales is setting up its new headquarters there

One of the three new buildings will serve as the headquarters of Transport for Wales (TfW), which will begin moving its staff into the premises in November, albeit with restricted numbers due to Covid-19 regulations.

Another of the buildings includes a library, council customer contact point, and a leisure and fitness centre.

The middle building of the three is made up of office space along with a food and drink outlet.

The areas in and around the premises have also been completed and are accessible to the public, including the new Taff Vale walkway running adjacent to the river.

• Work starts to redevelop 'abandoned' site

• Town shopping centre demolished

• 'Shopping centre plan in ruins'

A pedestrian bridge across the River Taff was built in an earlier £2m project, linking the site to Ynysangharad War Memorial Park.

Mr Bevan, Rhondda Cynon Taf cabinet member for development, said he was "delighted" to see the project complete.

"Llys Cadwyn is at the heart of Pontypridd's regeneration - bringing hundreds of jobs to the town, increasing footfall for existing businesses and breathing new life into a large strategic site that lay derelict for so long," he said.

Constructor Willmott Dixon said more than 240 local people had had employment and training opportunities as a result of the project.