The announcement of a £1million refurbishment of Glanaman workshops is to be welcomed with open arms.
Plaid Cymru’s deputy leader at County Hall, Councillor David Jenkins, is the representative of Glanaman and has championed a renovation of the site for more years than anyone might care to remember.
He has stuck to his guns no his finds himself in power and for that alone, deserves praise, respect and gratitude.
The valley has been crying out for small and start-up business units and this cash may just be the spark needed to bring small-scale industry and jobs.
Rather more concerning however was what was omitted from Plaid Cymru’s £20m plans.
In the dozen projects outlined, there was a large Ammanford-shaped hole.
There was no mention whatsoever of money to address traffic flow problems in and around the town.
Access to and from the valley is centred on Ammanford.
When Ammanford grinds to a halt, so too does everywhere else.
Traffic in the town is – at best – troublesome. One minor setback – roadworks, an accident – and it becomes nothing short of a nightmare.
For the valley – and Ammanford itself - to achieve anywhere near its potential, the road system needs a radical rethink – and major financial investment.
We cannot continue in a world where a queue to use the petrol pumps at Tesco leaves the entire Amman Valley from Tycroes to Brynaman in gridlock.
Addressing that problem is the one on which Cllr Jenkins and his colleagues in County Hall will be measured over the coming few years.
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