Affordable housing development approved on former car sales site

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

Affordable houses and flats are to be built at a former car sales business in Swansea East.

Social housing provider Castell Group was given unanimous approval to build 17 homes and 18 flats in Llansamlet by Swansea Council’s planning committee.

The development off Samlet Road, next to an Aldi store, will stretch back onto undeveloped land at the rear.

The committee heard that all the units will be affordable, despite only a 10% requirement for that part of Swansea.

The four blocks of one and two-bedroom flats will have balconies or ground floor space, and a play area will be created within the development.

Nine of the houses will be three-bed, the other eight will be two-bed.

Contributions

A council planning officer said Castell Group must provide £15,000 towards a cycling and pedestrian link to the south of the development site but added that a contribution towards education was not considered to be “reasonable or justified”.

Committee members asked if a pedestrian crossing ought to be included to make it easier for occupiers of the properties to catch a bus heading east on Samlet Road, and whether tactile features could be included where the access to the development met Samlet Road.

A highways officer said the new crossover point at the entrance to the scheme would include tactile features.

He added a pedestrian crossing around 80m from the proposed development was already in place.

A planning report said the design of the houses and flats would mitigate noise from Samlet Road and the adjacent Aldi store.

It added: “The parks department have not requested any contribution to play space in the area and a condition would be attached to ensure that the play area is maintained by the developer.”