Overview
- Photos and on-the-ground reporting published Sunday depict shuttered seafront units, boarded shopfronts, and sparse footfall across the resort.
- Coney Beach Pleasure Park, a century-old anchor for visitors, closed permanently in 2025 after owners confirmed it would not reopen.
- Developers filed a hybrid application in April 2026 for up to 980 homes, a new spine road linking Eastern Promenade to Sandy Bay, a lido, a gym, shops, landscaped public space, and coastal defences.
- Bridgend County Borough Council is expected to consider the plan in the coming months, with construction possible in 2027 if approved, though the number of permanent business closures remains unclear.
- Residents and traders voiced grief and concern over the town’s identity, with some urging a tourism-first approach, reflecting Porthcawl’s postwar heyday as “Wales’ mini Blackpool” during Miners’ Fortnight.