Advertising Screen Plan Rejected After Objections From Dai & Myfanwy

Plans for a big ad screen in Cwmbran are now gone. They wanted to put it in Gwent Square. The screen would have been very large. It was going to be 7.2 meters wide and stand 4.5 meters tall.

This screen would replace some art, including a clock and two statues, on the Congress Theatre wall. The theater faces southward to the square. The ad company said it could show sports.

Many people did not like the idea; over 760 people voiced objections, with only 22 supporting the screen plan. A local councilor, Alan Slade, also objected, worrying officers might decide it.

Slade wanted the planning committee to review it because he thought it was a really important matter where councilors on the committee have a say. Slade contacted Cadw, a historic building group, as the theater is listed on their website.

The website states the clock and statues arrived in 1982 and were named ‘Dai’ and ‘Myfanwy.’ They had hoped to soften Cwmbran’s style, as the town had a lot of concrete then.

The statues wore Welsh dress, and the clock even chimed the time back then. Slade hopes to get the clock and statues fixed, as they used to rotate. He hopes to get them working again.

Jason O’Connell is also a councilor who backs modernizing the area. He thinks “Dai and Myfanwy” are important and suggested maybe moving them someplace else.

Smart Outdoor wanted to put up the screen. They are an advertising firm and did not comment on future plans yet. No one knows if they will try again.