Councillor to leave Neath Port Talbot coalition over concerns with town centre plan
A Neath Port Talbot councillor has said he will step back from his place within the authority's governing coalition due to a "lack of momentum" on key policies he had championed. Speaking at the council's annual general meeting for 2025, Cllr Nathan Goldup-John said the decision to leave the group had come after disagreements over major plans for the creation of a new transport hub in the borough.
The project, which was revealed earlier this year, proposes the creation of a new transport hub in Neath that would bring together all aspects of rail, taxi and bus transport to one location in the town centre.
If approved this would be based at the front of Neath's railway station with the creation of the new bus interchange set under a large canopy to shelter passengers from the weather.
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If given the go-ahead it would also see the potential redevelopment of the area around the town's Station Square set just off Windsor Road.
The early stage proposals released by the council suggest the site could eventually serve as a "striking new gateway to Neath town centre, encouraging people to visit, shop, work and explore".
However, the Green Party member for Coedffranc Central, Cllr Goldup-John said he was concerned by the plans he described as being"flawed" and lacking "strategic direction".
While he will continue in his role as a councillor for Neath Port Talbot, he will no longer be a part of the current "rainbow coalition" - which took charge of the authority in 2022 - due to a lack of changes in this proposal as well as what he said was a lack of momentum on other key policies he had championed.
Addressing the chamber he said: "The proposals remained unchanged despite early and detailed feedback I offered grounded in professional expertise over two years ago.
"The concerns I previously raised are now being echoed by others and I want to be clear, this is a flawed plan that lacks strategic direction and is unlikely to achieve its goals, destroying business place and the environment at the same time."
The Neath interchange is part of a project which has been named in the local authority's corporate plan for a number of years with funding so far coming through the Welsh Government's Local Transport Fund.
Work on the project will be subject to further successful awards of Welsh Government funding, with planning approval also having to be given by the council before any work can begin.
A public consultation on the plans is also currently open until June 11, 2025, to get feedback from residents of both the town and the wider county borough area. For the latest Neath Port Talbot news sign up to our newsletter here
A spokesperson for Neath Port Talbot Council said: "The proposals for a new transport hub at the front of Neath Railway Station are currently a matter for public consultation. Feedback from the consultation will be provided to members for consideration before any decision is made."
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