Traders and shoppers in the towns of Pontypool and Cwmbran are "suffering from increased anxiety" due to a wave of antisocial behaviour. Crime levels came under scrutiny in a Torfaen council meeting which heard 30 windows were smashed in Cwmbran shopping centre in just one night in February.
The issues facing the two nearby towns were raised by a landlord who owns shop premises in Pontypool's Osborne Road. A representative of the landlord said: “Thirty traders will have staff suffering from increased anxiety and the businesses will suffer from expense [with] raised insurance premiums whilst Cwmbran shoppers will feel less safe and concerned for businesses that they use. Unfortunately Pontypool has also become less safe during evenings and night-time. Antisocial behaviour has undergone significant increase in recent times.”
The landlord's Osborne Road unit was occupied by a pet grooming business which fitted a steel roller shutter in early 2024 without planning permission. The tenant had installed the shutter after an attempted burglary in 2019 and the smashing of a front window in 2023. Following a burglary in May 2024 the pet groomers decided they'd had enough and relocated. The landlord said the shutter was installed without his knowledge but argued he should be able to keep it in light of the crime problems. Last July we reported how some locals "no longer feel safe" because of violent yobs in Pontypool, which you can read more about here.
In an application for retrospective planning permission to retain the shutters the landlord's representative states the burglary last May saw items stolen and damage to the interior and the door. If allowed to remain in place the shutter would only be drawn down during non-trading hours. The two-storey, end-terraced building was built in around 1880. Its ground floor is a small retail unit and the first a flat with a more modern door to the side.
The application highlights that Torfaen’s planning guidance doesn’t strictly rule out shutters but states: “The use of roller shutters should be avoided.” The application is being considered by the council's planning department. A 38-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the Cwmbran shopping centre vandalism which was reported in the early hours of February 10.
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