Plans for new homes and supermarket next to former colliery site

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

New apartments and a supermarket could be built on a “redundant” parcel of brownfield land next to a former colliery site.

New plans submitted to Caerphilly County Borough Council set out designs for 33 affordable homes in Penallta, between Winding Wheel Lane and Penallta Road.

The apartments would be split over three blocks, and 12 of the 33 affordable units would be “dedicated for over-55s occupiers only, from the local social housing register”.

‘Sustainable’

Amity Planning, the agents for applicant Bluefield Land Ltd, said the proposals for a mix of residential and commercial uses of the site were “sustainable and deliverable”.

They said the proposed retail unit – designed to accommodate a supermarket – will “deliver significant economic and social benefits”.

A new supermarket would “create jobs and offer an accessible and convenient option for local people to meet their needs through shorter journeys utilising green travel”, they argued.

According to the agents, the development site housed railway infrastructure for Penallta Colliery for much of the 20th century, but has stood vacant since the mine closed in 1991.

The application can be viewed on the Caerphilly County Borough Council website under reference 25/0599/FULL.