Revised plans for Cynon Valley bypass after scheme put on hold
Anthony Lewis – Local Democracy Reporter
Revised plans for a Cynon Valley bypass are going to be drawn up after the scheme had previously been put on hold.
Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council leader Councillor Andrew Morgan said that following positive discussions with the Welsh Government, RCT Council is to review the plans for the Cynon Gateway North (A4059 to the A465) with a view to now going ahead with the scheme.
The aim of the revised scheme is to provide a boost to the economy and connectivity in the upper Cynon Valley as well as reducing carbon and minimising environmental impacts.
In March 2022 the council’s planning committee gave its support to the Cynon Gateway North project but it couldn’t approve it because it was subject to a “call in” for potential consideration by Welsh Government.
Safety
The issues surrounding the Cynon Gateway North raised at the planning committee were around the volume of traffic in the villages of Llwydcoed and Penywaun, pollution, large vehicles travelling through and the safety of children and elderly people crossing the road.
Those against it cited environmental concerns in terms of noise and pollution, the impact on wildlife, the loss of farming land and ancient woodland and the impact on the Special Landscape Area and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Then in February 2023, the scheme was halted due to the Welsh Government’s roads review as it was on a list of “local authority” schemes which the Welsh Government said wouldn’t be funded at that time but would be considered in future rounds of transport grant funding if they met the new tests for road building.
A freeze on new developments was announced in June 2021 and the Cynon Gateway North project was one of more than 50 road building schemes across Wales affected by the February 2023 announcement following the publication of a wide-ranging roads review by a panel of experts.
But now Cllr Morgan has said the agreement to progress a review and redesign of the Aberdare scheme using the principles developed as part of the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor is a “significant step forward.”
He said that the redesign of the scheme in Llanharan has hugely reduced built-in carbon and has been reviewed to minimise environmental impact.
Progress
Cllr Morgan said: “As a council we have been clear that a link between the current A4059 and the A465 is imperative for the economy and connectivity of the upper Cynon Valley.
“We are also clear that without this link, the community of Llwydcoed will be detrimentally impacted with through traffic off the dualled Heads of the Valleys Road.
“I’m pleased that following a series of meetings with the local community and local ward councillors, along with meetings with Ken Skates as the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and the lobbying support of Vikki Howells MS, we have reached a position where work will be undertaken to progress a scheme for the area that uses the shared learning from the redesign of the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor, where we
work to value engineer the scheme to reduce built-in carbon from day one and minimise any environmental impacts but still deliver for the wider community.”
Cynon Valley MS Vikki Howells said: “I have campaigned consistently for the Cynon Gateway North alongside the residents of Llwydcoed and local councillors so am very pleased that, following a constructive meeting between myself, Cllr Andrew Morgan and Ken Skates MS, the recently appointed Welsh Secretary for Transport, a refreshed scheme will now be developed.
“This scheme will reduce the congestion, pollution and road traffic hazards impacting on the village of Llwydcoed and deliver enhanced connectivity and economic potential for the upper Cynon Valley.
“As plans progress, I look forward to continuing to engage with the community so we can make sure the proposals that are developed work for them.”
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The bypass for the Cynon Valley is the Merthyr Valley A470, nice new interchange at the heads of the valleys soon!
So why shouldn’t the Cynon Valley have a tidy road from Abercynon to Hirwaun ?
Totally agree we’ve been at the bottom of the Barrel for decades, wedged between needy Rhondda and infrastructure junkie Merthyr
With respect, that is a such an ill judged and somewhat parochial thing to say. I’m not sure where you live, but the cynon Valley has 4 towns between the A655 and the A470 at Abercynon. Traffic has and still is a total nightmare with pinch points at Abercynon, Mt Ash (despite the small works bridge crossing at Miskin), Aberdare and Hrirwaun. The A470 from Abercynon to Merthyr has nothing whatever to do with the Cynon Valley and provides no benefit whatsoever. The People of the Cynon Valley have suffered for decades as the “poorman” of RCT and have watched… Read more »
‘We need to build this bypass which will increase traffic in Llwydcoed because without it traffic will increase in Llwydcoed.’ Clear as mud.
South Wales gets Metro service. South Wales gets bypass.
Mid Wales gets rail service cuts and a two hourly service. Mid Wales gets by pass cancelled.
Regional Diparities in Wales are clear and need addressing.
Your not on your own the Cynon valley and Rhondda Mawr get everything the Rhondda face gets nowt Andrew Morgan doesn’t know where it is
I think you need to get put more the Cynon Valley has been neglected ever since we were forced to be part of the Rhondda. We get squeezed between Merthyr and Rhondda. My mother in law had her business compulsory purchased over 3 decades ago it was demolished and the road scheme shelved. Apart from a bridge at the bottom of Mt Ash we have had no hew infrastructure in all that time. Rhondda has had far more. But they have us arguing between ourselves now when the Valleys continue to suffer
Predictive text is a pain. Rhondda fach
The Metro is about moving large commuting populations into and out of the valleys. Which is where the population concentrations are and where the wealth is mostly created. I don’t want mid Wales to lose out, but yours is not an argument to deny us what we should have had in the Valley’s years ago. As for bypasses, they are really needed in space restricted Valley’s communities and gets face it, one of the biggest ones was opened in Mid Wales which I’ve travelled quite a few times. The Heads of the Valley’s is going to make mid Wales more… Read more »