Bridgend Council is still considering its options for taking over the lease for the Garw Valley Community Route between Bryngarw House and Pontycymer.
The route – located on land owned by Network Rail (owing to it being on/next to a disused railway) and others, such as the Crown Estate – has fallen into disrepair.
Although discussions about the lease and necessary maintenance have been ongoing since at least 2022 – even resulting in a Senedd petition – part of the route has been closed due to issues around overgrown vegetation and unsafe bridge decks.
An annual report on BCBC’s strategic transport projects (pdf – p7-8) says the works needed to reopen it to the public would cost around £35,000. Officers say that some of this money could be raised through existing active travel grants, though the council would need assurances on “the long-term future of the route”.
If BCBC were to take on the lease for the route, then it would require a full survey, while both the Welsh Government and TfW need “some commitment from the Council” before funding can be secured.
So there’s a bit of a Catch-22 situation at the moment, with BCBC and the other relevant authorities needing assurances from each other.
Further reports will be presented to BCBC’s Cabinet setting out how much taking on the lease – and bringing the community route up to scratch – will cost, as well as funding options.
