Clock and Statues Saved in Cwmbran After Public Outcry Over Ad Screen

Someone wanted to put a big ad screen in Cwmbran. It was going in Gwent Square, near the Congress Theatre. The screen would be really large: 7.2m by 4.5m. People did not like this plan, and it got pulled after lots of people complained.

The ad screen could show sports events, said the company. It would replace a clock and two statues on the theatre wall, facing south. The council received over 760 objections, while only 22 people supported the idea.

Alan Slade, a local councillor, also objected. He worried officers might decide it, not the planning committee, feeling it was a very important issue and wanting the committee to discuss it.

Cllr Slade explained that he couldn’t vote because he had already spoken about it publicly. He contacted Cadw, which protects Welsh buildings, as the theatre is listed on their website, Coflein. “Dai” and “Myfanwy” are the names of the statues, and they arrived in 1982.

The statues and clock were added to the theatre back then, helping soften the theatre’s concrete design. The theatre’s original style was Brutalist, built in 1972. In 1982, they added the statues, clock, and stucco finish.

Cllr Slade hopes they can fix up the clock and repair the statues, mentioning they used to rotate. Another councillor, Jason O’Connell, supports modernizing the center but knows people care about Dai and Myfanwy.

O’Connell suggested moving the statues somewhere else. Smart Outdoor is the ad company, located near Gateshead. People asked them if they would try again, but they did not reply to requests for comment.