A new housing estate could be built on the site of a former colliery in Caerphilly County Borough.
United Welsh Housing Association’s plans to build 48 affordable homes at the Penallta Colliery have been submitted to the local authority.
The colliery closed in 1991, but buildings which formed its pithead complex remain and are now Grade II listed buildings.
The site’s former engineering hall in Winding Wheel Lane, also a listed building, has since been converted into luxury apartments.
A breakdown of the proposed development includes six one-bed flats, 15 two-bed houses, 26 three-bed houses and one four-bed house.
The types of homes would be a mixture of walk-up flats, terraced and semi-detached homes.
Up to 117 parking spaces have been proposed on the brownfield site, along with a small children’s play area.
The applicants say the development will help Caerphilly County Borough Council towards reaching its housebuilding targets.
A planning document, submitted by Asbri Planning on behalf of United Welsh, reads: “The total amount of dwellings is considered to be reflective of the surrounding density, particularly the Cwm Calon development to the east, whilst ensuring that the site delivers the critical mass required to ensure that it is viable and also to deliver much needed affordable housing in the area.”
Since adopting the local development plan (LDP) in 2010, the authority has struggled to meet its social housing targets.
The council had aimed to build 964 affordable homes through its planning system by 2021.
But only 251 units have been built – less than a third of the overall target. Of that figure, 96 of the completed homes had been built before the LDP was adopted.
Caerphilly council believe that 689 homes could be built on the entirety of the Penallta Colliery site, a significant portion of the 1,918 homes earmarked for the Northern Connections Corridor area.
Regeneration of old land is a good idea for new properties especially 1 bed properties.
A good idea!!! We dont have the roads to deal with all these extra houses. More houses more problems, especially one bedroom flats. In no time at all we will see crime go through the roof with all sorts being shipped in to this area. What wee need is to refurbishment of this area so it can be turned into a tourist attraction for our area. We have such a rich area in history that we need to tap into this, to build our future.
Affordable housing is what we need there is not enough 1 beds around for young and married couples who can’t afford the property market.
We have a duty to look after vulnerable people and there are not enough 1 beds when the government has a bedroom tax.
The roads are getting better traffic flowing.
Edward are you saying 1 bed apartments or single people are the problem for crime that’s a bit bad to say that.
Edward what about old age people who want to downsize to free up 2-3 bed properties.
Again you are jumping on 1 beds as young problem people sad.
Im all for one bedroom appartments for the right class of people. But we all now that when we have single flats the council seem to house single males who more often are the cause of crimes. Once again you havr contradicted yourself in one breath you want to help young couples and in the next you want these flats for OAPs to down size. Make up your mind of who you want to help.
I would like to see young people like my grandaughter, getting a nice appartment but we all know that these flats will go to wrong uns of our society.
Sounds like Caerphilly Council’s plan is to use this area as a dumping ground for cheap houses to meet their social rent commitments, to the detriment of the town. The United Welsh Housing Association Transport Statement for the proposed development, particularly its appendices, make for very interesting reading. It gives the impression that no thought at all has been given for the appearance of the development:
Appendix A:
“no consideration has been given to buffering the residential dwellings against the boundary of the Baths Building or where there are views into the site from along Penallta Road. . There is no attempt at softening the boundary with any hedging, landscaping by way of tree and hedge planning. This scheme is poor in that it is proposes high density development along the front boundary of the site, which does not take into consideration its harmful and detrimental impact upon the ‘setting of the 2 listed buildings’ as the LPA is required to consider under its framework legislation.”