Harbour Quarter Porthcawl

Harbourside | Credu @ Porthcawl Harbour Quarter

The Porthcawl Maritime Centre proposal is the most innovative, unique and necessary development ever proposed for Porthcawl, and is amongst the most exciting in Wales. It has the size, scale and ambition required to be the catalyst to restore Porthcawl’s rich heritage as a premier tourist and visitor destination.
It is innovative because it provides the first opportunity for a large scale and sustainable regeneration project to be truly ‘community led’ and be delivered through a partnership between public, private and the third sector where the skills of each work collaboratively for the benefit of the wider community.

It is unique because it provides an exciting mix of niche retail, business incubation, leisure, health and social benefits which have been skilfully combined to offer a ‘whole family’ destination.

It is necessary because it offers the scale of new employment and business opportunities required to address unemployment across the County Borough and, in particular, it will provide interesting and challenging jobs for our young people.
In addition to internal attractions, Harbourside will spawn a host of water and maritime business and visitor opportunities to transform the newly completed harbour into a vibrant marina necessary for it to be fully sustainable.

Something strategic needs to be done! This proposal has galvanised the whole community and enjoys the unqualified support of local organisations. Conceived and driven locally, it is entirely consistent with the following key strategies:

National – Vibrant & Viable Places, New Regeneration framework, Welsh Government March 2013: ‘Sustainable development – the Welsh Government’s central organising principle, enabling long-term investment through locally conceived and delivered projects within a shared overarching strategy’.

Regional – Bridgend County Borough Council’s Destination Plan 2013-2016: ‘Investment needs to focus on revitalising Porthcawl and the coast as the flagship destination within Bridgend County Borough’.

Local – Seven Bays Project 2007:
‘The regeneration of the waterfront is a key element in the future development of Porthcawl as a premier seaside resort. Central to this will be a revitalised harbour, incorporating the reuse of historic buildings, new leisure facilities and a fully refurbished harbour within a prestigious and vibrant waterfront’.

The philosopher Malcolm Gladwell talks of ‘the tipping point’ in terms of ‘that magical moment when an idea, trend or social behaviour crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire – it represents the point when ‘something with a strategic dynamic needs to be done – a champion with vision emerges’ – and the resources can be made available to make it happen’.

This is such a time – Porthcawl’s ‘tipping point’, a time for courage and boldness and a time to harness all talents and shape the future.