Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Thu Oct 09, 2025 5:35 pm This would probably be a devolved matter, so no strictly relevant, but it's somewhere I've been to a fair bit.

Brecon has a nice river, square and cathedral but it's not posh overall and it's by no means all old. It's nonetheless expensive. Is there perhaps some middle ground between increasing the size of the town with family homes and sticking luxury homes all over the most scenic parts of the Beacons?

Brecon (along with Ystradgynlais and sometimes Newtown) is the one of the few bits of Powys that elects Labour councillors. It's only just in the national park, but I think it's a bit hemmed in by geography to expand hugely. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a big town in any of our national parks. Brecon (pop. 9000 maybe) is probably the biggest. Any expansion would probably be taken up by retirees (both from England and the Valleys) and Cardiff commuters, I would have thought, with little effect on prices in general.

I can't recall the geography particularly well, just that there was a fair bit of development on the way we came into town. If it can't be expanded easily into regular fields, then I'd not be so keen on expanding it. Fair point about who'd move there (though you could build starter homes, maybe). But even that would be positive in terms of triggering moves in Cardiff etc.

Abercrave is another working class place in Powys- home of Adam Jones, who we once saw at the retail park in Merthyr. My memory of there is that it's on the side of hills and not easily expanded. Ystradgynllais perhaps could be.