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Further planning permission is expected to be granted for the first half of a controversial housing development on a former golf course in Caerphilly.

A decision on phase one of the 350-home project being built on Virginia Park Golf Club is to be made at a Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 9.

Developers Taylor Wimpey and Withey Developments have submitted detailed plans to the council to build 174 homes on the former landfill site.

The proposed plans include the construction of; four one-bedroom flats, a two-bedroom bungalow, six two-bedroom houses, 94 three-bedroom houses and 69 four-bedroom houses.

Twelve of the homes are set to be classed as affordable housing, and the remaining 162 will be sold on the open market. Some of the properties will have detached garages.

A play area and footpath links are also proposed in the application.

In total, 39 letters of objection were submitted from residents and all three Morgan Jones ward councillors.

Concerns raised include: loss of public open space, increase in traffic, loss of tree buffer, lack of disabled parking, and contaminated material on site.

The traffic and open space issues were addressed in the outline planning application that was approved.

The “majority” of the existing tree belt will be retained, but the 50 metres that is set to be removed will be replaced by a Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUD) feature.

Work has been carried out and continues to decontaminate the former landfill site, as approved by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s environmental health department and Natural Resources Wales.

Heritage And Placemaking Officer raised a concern that the proposed layout does not adequately meet the placemaking principles as set out in Welsh Government guidance.

The officer’s report states that this concern is not a “fatal” concern and the application should not be refused based on this.

Despite concerns raised by residents and councillors, planning officer’s have recommended that the application be approved. Committee members will make a decision at the meeting on Wednesday.

History of the site: 

Virginia Park Golf Club closed in March 2017 with falling membership numbers making the venture unviable.

Outline planning permission for the site was granted in December 2019, after a Section 106 agreement was signed.

A section 106 agreement is a legally binding contract between a developer and the Local Planning Department (LPD).

But, in December 2021, developer Bellway Homes withdrew its reserved matters application because it could not agree on terms with the landowner, however the outline planning permission remained.