Plans for 40 houses and flats near a Valleys industrial estate put on hold

Anthony Lewis – Local Democracy Reporter

A plan for more than 40 houses and flats near a Valleys industrial estate has been put on hold for councillors to visit the site.

The application for 41 houses on land near Bryngelli Industrial Estate in Hirwaun went before Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) planning committee on Thursday, August 15 with councillors approving a site visit on highways grounds which was suggested by the chair Councillor Sharon Rees.

The application relates to land which is situated immediately to the west of the industrial estate.

The planning report said that a very similar application for 35 homes at the site was approved in April, 2023, but this permission has not yet been issued as the required Section 106 agreement has not been concluded.

This latest proposal from Meadow Lane (Hirwaun) Ltd would include eight one-bed flats, two two-bed bungalows, 12 two-bed houses, 17 three-bed houses and two four-bed houses.

The proposed one-bed flats would be in two separate blocks to the north-eastern corner of the site with access to a shared parking area being
accessed from Meadow Lane to the north.

A new junction would also be created off Meadow Lane with a new estate road running through the site.

Each property would have off-street parking provision which would either be provided as on-plot parking to the front or side of properties or in parking courts. A total of seven visitor spaces would also be located at various points throughout the site. All plots would also have enclosed rear gardens and open plan gardens to the front.

The proposals also show that Meadow Lane would be improved with the width of the carriageway being widened to 5.5m for the length of the site frontage and that segregated pedestrian footpaths would also be provided.

The planning report said that the site was previously occupied by an industrial unit (former Ferrari’s Bakery) but that this appears to have been demolished in recent years.

Objection

There have been five letters of objection which have raised highways concerns saying the access is unsafe and dangerous and that it will result in a great deal more traffic coming onto a minor road.

They said consideration should be given to an access off the A465 and that although the development proposed to widen part of the lane, it was not going to cope with the amount of traffic that would be going in and out of the development.

They said there would be three junctions which would be very dangerous and cause accidents and residents might use the ‘track’ which runs from Meadow Lane to Rhigos Road as a short cut to access and egress the site.

They said the development would cause nuisance and disturbance from noise of traffic travelling up and down the lane and that Meadow Lane remained just a lane and not a highway.

They said the mitigations proposed were very limited and did not address the safety concerns initially raised by residents.

Objectors said: “Whilst Welsh Government policy is to increase walking and cycling as a preferred mode of transport, the reality is currently far removed from such an aspiration and there is no doubt that the development will significantly increase traffic flow, noise and pollution during daytime hours.”

They said the additional traffic had the potential to cause traffic problems and create safety hazards for residents and other motorists and that the submitted transport report gave a misleading impression by understating the current risks with traffic issues at the Meadow Close/Bryngelli Estate/Meadow Lane junction.

Near misses

The objectors also said there had been a number of unreported near misses and that there were access issues to the lane around school run times, as school transport buses used the Bryngelli site as their base and blocked the lane access.

They said the issues were temporarily more pronounced whilst the village was being used as a short cut for traffic trying to avoid pinch points on the Heads of the Valley major road works.

They said that the submission of how the preparatory site work would be undertaken was light, although they noted that a number of pre-commencement conditions were requested by highways and Welsh Water, and they asked how could the local planning authority approve such an extensive development without first knowing what the approach and impact will be.

In recommending approval, planning officers said in their report that the proposal would provide 41 affordable units which would address an identified need within the Hirwaun area.

They said: “Whilst the development would inevitably result in the loss of an employment site, the site has been vacant for at least 10 years and its redevelopment would therefore result in a vast improvement to the visual aesthetics of the site and the surrounding area.”

Improvements

They said that the site was capable of accommodating 41 dwellings as proposed without resulting in a significant impact upon the character and appearance of the surrounding area or the amenity and privacy of the surrounding properties.

They said: “It is also considered the proposed development would have no undue impact upon highway safety in the vicinity of the site with the scheme including a number of improvements to Meadow Lane.”

They said that the council’s highways and transportation section had not raised any objection in relation to access.

The Section 106 agreement requirements would be to ensure that the homes were established and maintained as affordable units for the continued purpose of meeting identified local housing needs and to secure an off-site recreation contribution for the upgrading of existing play areas.