‘It’s been an eyesore for years’: Locals weigh in on factory site’s transformation

Anthony Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter

It was once a proud factory employing thousands of people and making household appliances that became a mainstay in homes across the country.

Opening in 1948, at its peak in the 1970s Hoover in Merthyr Tydfil employed over 5,000 workers in Merthyr, producing washing machines and household appliances.

In many ways, it was more than a factory. It was a social hub.

It didn’t just provide employment, it also brought sporting facilities and social events to the town.

But ever since Hoover moved out of the site in 2009 signalling the end of an era for many, the natural question has been what will come next?

Now we have that answer as plans have recently been approved for what’s described as a “new neighbourhood” including up to 441 new homes.

But it won’t just include housing. The development will also feature a new community hub including shops as well as a metro station and transport hub.

Planning approval was given at the same meeting as huge plans for what will be the UK’s longest indoor ski slope was given the go ahead at Rhydycar West.

This huge new resort, which includes a water park and hotel, along with the Hoover redevelopment, are two examples of big investments being made in Merthyr Tydfil which could have long lasting impacts.

The Hoover site will have financial and professional services and food and drink businesses, a community heat hub, as well as a network of open spaces including parkland, active travel routes, areas for informal recreation and sustainable drainage.

The plans also involve demolition, ground reclamation and remediation and works including improvements to the highway network.

It’s been described by one councillor as a “game changer” of a development but what do people who live in the surrounding area think about the plans?

Dead

Speaking about the site as it is now, Pentrebach resident Allan Breese said: “It’s just been dead for years. It’s an eyesore.

“It’s been like that ever since they stopped manufacturing.”

Turning to the new development, he said: “Let them get on with it. It’s got to be better than what is there at the moment.”

“It is not like it is green rolling fields with daffodils. It is an eyesore. It is derelict.”

Denise and Andrew Phillips also live near the site and Andrew said: “I can’t see what else you could use it for.”

He added: “You couldn’t leave it derelict. Something’s got to go on there. You couldn’t turn it into an industrial estate.”

He said that along with other things coming to Merthyr Tydfil it was “making it a more up and coming area.”

‘Lovely’

But Denise thought traffic “will be a bit of a nightmare” with vehicles coming off the A470 and the school run as well, especially at busy times.

She also said she hoped they didn’t move the station further up as where it was now was easier for residents of Pentrebach and Abercanaid to use.

But she said: “It’s a lovely place to live. It is a nice little community.”

Another Pentrebach resident, Rob Williams, said: “I’ve got no issue with it.”

He said there might be an issue during the demolition and the building phase and there were concerns about school places and health centres but he said: “It’s been an eyesore for years.”

He said it was a “positive with some minor reservations” and added that Merthyr was seeing a “massive boost to the economy” with developments like this and the new ski slope at Rhydycar West.

Environmental impact

Fellow Pentrebach resident, Richard Wade, raised concerns about the environmental impact and said: “I’m worried about the traffic”, adding: “A lot of cars are going to come around here.”

He said the main artery was “going to be monopolised by diggers. We will have to use the backroads”. He added:  “I don’t see it as a huge positive.”

He said something needed to be developed but they needed sports facilities and suggested building a new 4G pitch there, asking: “Why don’t they give something back to the community?”

He added: “I see some positives but I also see a lot of negatives.”

At the planning meeting earlier this month, Councillor Andrew Barry said the reality of the world today was agile working and, “what better place than a house at the Hoover site?”

He mentioned the road and rail links, the Brecon Beacons, Bike Park Wales and Brecon Mountain Railway and said: “What’s not to like?”

He said they had an opportunity for a “game-changer of a development” and that they needed it at pace, adding that it brought an opportunity to lift Merthyr out of the deprived state it had been in.

Opportunities and challenges

Councillor Anna Williams-Price said the Hoover application was a significant change with opportunities and challenges. She said that with the history of the Hoover site it inevitably raised questions about the loss of sports pitches and heritage assets as well as infrastructure.

She said they had to strike the right balance between respecting heritage and embracing progress.

And Councillor Clive Jones said this was another “really significant” application and that all councillors fully supported new accommodation being built. He said it was on flat land and was close to the A470 and the town centre and that it was “like a new village being built there”.