Sandfields (Welsh: Traethmelyn) is a mainly residential district of Port Talbot, Wales. The area is located in South Wales on a narrow coastal plain between Mynydd Dinas and the sea. The M4 motorway, A48 trunk road and South Wales Main Line run nearby. The area includes a council estate, industrial areas and a seaside resort at Aberavon Beach.
The Sandfields estate, consisting mainly of semi-detached houses, was built between 1947 and 1955 to initially house workers for Port Talbot steelworks.[1] In 2017, 1,800 of the 3,000 homes were owned by a social housing provider.[1]
The area encompasses the electoral wards of Sandfields West and Sandfields East, part of the Neath Port Talbot unitary authority.
Prior to 1974 Sandfields was a ward to Glamorgan County Council, represented by a Labour Party councillor.[2]
The two electoral wards covering Sandfields were ranked in top 50 most deprived wards in Wales in the 2000 Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation.[3] In the 2005 index, Sandfields West was one of the 10% most deprived wards in Wales.[4] It is the most densely populated ward in Neath Port Talbot.[1]
The Afan Lido leisure centre was opened by the Queen in 1965.[5] The facility formerly included a 50m competition swimming pool, which was later converted into a 25m leisure pool called the "Aquadome" with water slides when the complex was re-fitted during the mid-1990s. The Lido also has a spa, gym, and concert hall where famous bands have played, including in recent years McFly, All Saints, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers and Lostprophets.
The Lido was the site of a major fire on 16 December 2009 which broke out in the Aquadome part of the complex.[6] Residents in surrounding streets were evacuated due to fears of the safety of chemicals in the fire that broke through the centre's roof.[6] The centre has since been closed and demolished.
Sandfields Comprehensive School was the first purpose-built comprehensive school in Wales when it opened in 1958. In 2000, it was recognised by the Welsh Secondary Schools Association (WSSA) as the most improved school in Wales.[7] The school has produced a number of sportsmen and women who have represented Wales at international level, including rugby players Allan Martin[8] and Les Keen (ex-Aberavon RFC); footballers Brian Flynn[8] and Laura May Walkely of Arsenal Ladies Football Team. The school closed in 2016 due to it being replaced by Ysgol Bae Baglan and was demolished in 2017.[9][10]
Ysgol Bae Baglan an all-through school in Neath Port Talbot and opened in 2016 following the closure of Sandfields Comprehensive school, Glan Afan Comprehensive School and Cwrt Sart Comprehensive School in 2016.[9][10]
Several primary schools are located within the Sandfields Estate including Tywyn and Awel Y Mor.
The Port Talbot Historical Society and Community Archives Wales meet at Sandfields' Library.