Seismic but Slow

It's a fascinating time to live in Llanelli. For decades, nothing seemed to improve: the town sunk deeper into its comfy seat on the Carmarthenshire coast while other localities in South Wales lapped up all the investment they could for successive infrastructural facelifts and tourism campaigns. On the precipice of terminal decline, Llanelli found itself beyond the reach of cosmetic assistance. The only way forward would be through total transformation.

Starting in 2011, over £60million of investment was earmarked for key regeneration projects. Planners recognised the need to revitalise the town centre first, in order to ensure that funding be concentrated more effectively and benefit the local economy in the most effective way.

This funding comes from a number of sources, primarily: the EU's European Regional Development Fund, Welsh Government grants, Carmarthenshire County Council and private sector support. Projects include:

• the creation of a leisure quarter, East Gate, comprising a new bus interchange, restaurants, cafes, a multiplex cinema, a hotel, retail space and office accommodation – completed over the second half of 2012;
• the refurbishment of Llanelli Library (with this astonishing discovery made in the process), freshly equipped with Internet cafe, function hall, audiovisual library, children's library and reference materials  – re-opened in March 2012;
• the establishment of a theatre complex, Y Ffwrnes, which houses a creative and cultural centre for performing arts, media & community events – opened in January 2013;
• the restoration of Llanelly House – scheduled to open to the public as a major heritage attraction in September 2013;
• a systematic renovation of town centre aesthetics;
• financial assistance for small businesses in and around the town centre, enabling renovations to their premises;
• better periphery-centre access for pedestrians and cyclists, with routes developed from Dafen and Felinfoel, the coast and North Dock, and Trostre;
• a refurbishment of Coleshill Social Centre where a new 'Centre for Economic Inclusion' will provide information & advice to people who are marginalised or economically inactive, training & business support for small and medium enterprises, and other social and health improvement services;
• landscaping and other environmental improvements to the wider area.

(I will dedicate future posts to covering these projects in greater detail.)

"Where would you like to go today?"

On the ground, it all looks very promising - you can take it from me.
But you shouldn't need to take my word for it. And neither should the tens of thousands of prospective visitors from whose arrival the town is expected to reap the dividends of this grand regeneration scheme.

At the time of launching this blog, Llanelli lacks virtual presence. In the digital realm, on platforms such as Infoserve City-Visitor and Google Maps, the town's many enterprises are generally absent and representations of 'Llanelli' rarely stretch beyond the traditional, two-dimensional road maps. Traders should know that word-of-mouth is the most effective form of publicity. But it shouldn't be the only form. Besides, local gossip tends to revert back to bemoaning the belief that "there's nothing around here… all the shops are closed down… everything's a charity shop now".

This year, the ADREF town centre redevelopment project continues to distribute some £4.3million of assistance from the EU Structural Funds, helping retailers to maximise on aesthetic potential. Paying close attention to the small things, shopfronts have been renovated with bright new, glass canopies installed; buildings redecorated with pleasing, fresh hues; and a glass/steel umbrella structure and seating on the newly paved area where Stepney Street and Vaughan Street meet (and now that 'central square' area has a name!)

Considerable efforts have been made (Okay, so there was some cosmetic tweaking) to render the town more welcoming. For a town to be a comfortable place to live, it has to be welcoming; to flourish, it must be inviting.





Tin Dragon was founded on the belief that those of us who care about the town's prospects the most – i.e. the residents – can make a difference. Neither driven by finances nor steered by committees, we can draw on our local knowledge to offer accurate and up-to-date reflections of Llanelli to the outside. Nothing matches the scale or pace of community power online, and it is essential that the local residents have a say in shaping their future.

Physical regeneration projects such as those of ADREF do not concern themselves with encouraging businesses to reach out to consumers via the Internet. Even the great powers of investment lack substance on the web (see official East Gate website for an example of a user-alienating showcase, outdated news, a general lack of concrete information and zero effort in the integration of social networking).

It is true that the cyber-infrastructure of West Wales is inadequate. Promises to lift Britain's biggest cities to surfing speeds of up to 100Mb/s have done nothing to improve our 0.5 Mb/s connection speeds in Carmarthenshire. Our local businesses Welsh Government plans to remedy the situation are currently spread over 3 years, with new services for West Wales not arriving until 2014-15. Yet we cannot wait idly for another outside source help us move forward. Inadequate web presences of Welsh small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have long been recognised and local businesses persistently miss out in spite of warnings from experts globally.




Expect to see regular updates on the situation, beginning a string of additions to Google Maps, as Tin Dragon embarks on a mission to put Llanelli on the map. Local knowledge, networking, and individuals' enthusiasm to contribute to change will be at the heart of this effort.



Have you been in the town centre lately?  What are your thoughts on the renovation works?

Please let me know by leaving a comment below or send a message to Tin Dragon, write to me on Facebook , Google+, or Twitter