Council agrees community hub plans for Rhondda football club

Anthony Lewis – Local democracy reporter

Plans for a new community hub which would allow a football club in the Rhondda to become financially sustainable have been approved by councillors.

At a meeting on Thursday, March 6, Rhondda Cynon Taf’s (RCT) planning committee confirmed their decision to approve plans for a first-floor extension over the current changing rooms to provide a new community hub and multi-user facility with external match-day viewing platform at Ynyshir Park football pitch in Church Terrace, Ynyshir.

On January 30, the committee had voted in favour of the application against officer recommendations to refuse.

It then came back before the committee on March 6 for the strength and weaknesses of making such a decision to be considered and the committee confirmed its decision to approve the scheme.

Sustainable

The reason given for approving was that: “the proposal would allow for enhanced facilities at an existing sports pitch and would assist in the football club becoming financially sustainable whilst also providing an additional facility for the wider community.

“In addition, the application is considered acceptable with regard its impact
upon the character and appearance of the area and residential amenity.”

In the planning assessment, the council’s transport department said the proposed addition would increase the parking requirement by 15 spaces with no additional parking spaces proposed.

They also said that the extension would be used for purposes not solely associated with the football club which would generate additional trips to the site and onstreet parking at times other than match days in a location that is oversubscribed with on-street parking to the detriment of highway and pedestrian safety.

Free flow

The earlier report to members set out concerns that, in the absence of adequate off-street car parking provision, the proposal would be considered to cause indiscriminate onstreet car parking, increasing hazards to the detriment of safety of all highway users and the free flow of traffic.

But the planning assessment also recognised that the facility would offer comfort and hospitality to participants and spectators visiting the ground.

It said the facility would allow the club to become financially sustainable and in turn, offer a community club for generations to come. It said the facility would also not be restricted to just the football club and it is the intention of the club to make the space accessible to others in the community.

The assessment said that the proposal is not considered to have any adverse impact upon the character and appearance of the area or upon the amenity of neighbouring occupiers subject to a condition to restrict the hours of operation of the facility.