Plans for 47-home residential development set for committee decision

Anthony Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to build nearly 50 new homes on a plot of green space land are set for a decision soon.

The planning application is for a residential development in Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil made up of 47 homes on land adjacent to Hillcrest and Mitchell Crescent.

The development would include 24 two-bedroom homes, four three-bedroom homes and 19 one-bedroom flats.

The planning report said a range of house types would be accommodated with a mixture of areas for informal recreation, shared surfaced areas and a central pedestrian link crossing through the site from west to east, connecting Mitchell Crescent to an area of natural landscaping.

There was one objection which raised concerns that the development would result in the loss of the open aspect enjoyed from the properties adjacent to the site.

It also said the development would have an impact on property values, that the plans had no consideration for the residents of Mitchell Crescent and it requested that the three-tier houses be positioned lower down in the site to minimise any impacts.

It also claimed that the houses were intended to be used to provide accommodation for homeless people, who could have complex needs.

In response, council planning officers accepted that the development of the site would inevitably result in a loss of the current open aspect of the site, particularly as it allocated for housing development.

They said that the views across the site would not be protected but the loss of views was not a material planning consideration, adding that the development would provide an “appropriate frontage” along Mitchell Crescent, both in terms of its scale and appearance.

They said that the submitted plans and design and access statement “clearly set out the design approach of which particular regard has been given the siting, scale and appearance of the development and how it seeks to integrate with the surrounding properties.”

They said that the siting of the proposed homes and their scale had “evidently been a careful approach to ensure the development could deliver an appropriate scheme.”

The officers added in their planning report that, although some of the homes would be three-storey, they would only appear as two-storey along Mitchell Crescent.

They said that future occupants of the dwellings would be outside the control of the planning process and it was not a material planning consideration and that the potential impact on the value of properties in the vicinity of the site was also not a material planning consideration.

In recommending approval, they concluded: “The development of the site would have a positive contribution towards the delivery of much needed affordable housing and would meet the objectives of the local development plan.

“The design of the development has been carefully considered to enable its appropriate integration with the surrounding area, while tackling challenging constraints with the sloping nature of the site.

“Regard has been given to the ecological value of the site and the need to provide net benefits to biodiversity, which has been appropriately incorporated into the landscaping and green infrastructure plans.

“Additionally, the development would not give rise to any significant highway safety concerns and is well placed close to public transport and proposed active travel routes.”

The plans include landscaping, informal open space and engineering works and the application is due to before Merthyr Tydfil Council’s planning committee on Wednesday, February 4.