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Demolition work could be approved for a disused office building in Caerphilly.
Planning permission was granted in 2021 for the redevelopment of the Llys Ifor site, in Crescent Road, where 29 apartments for people aged over 55 were proposed.
Wales and West Housing has now submitted planning documents which suggest work may start to take shape at the site, a stone’s throw from the town’s famous castle.
A letter to Caerphilly County Borough Council, from agents at Asbri Planning, sets out the details of the proposed demolition of Llys Ifor.
A further planning document, from Merthyr Salvage, states the project would include asbestos removal, mechanical demolition of the building, and the removal of its foundations.
The site would be “left clean and tidy on completion”, the firm added.
The public footpath on the northern side of Crescent Road would also have to be closed for a week while protective scaffolding is installed, according to the report.
The applicant has also submitted a request to reword the original planning application, allowing the demolition to precede other detailed plans.
Cllr Lindsay Whittle, who leads the local authority’s Plaid Cymru opposition group, has previously called for the council to compulsory purchase the “empty and unused” Llys Ifor site.
Following news of the recent planning applications, he reiterated calls for the council to take action.
“Can you imagine an eyesore building opposite Windsor Castle lying derelict for years with no action from the local authority?” he asked.
Cllr Whittle said council planners would “take time to determine the applications”.
“The council has the powers to make the owners spruce this building up and clear-up the grounds at the very least,” he added. “But they are not using them and nothing is being done to sort out the immediate problem.”
Commenting previously on Cllr Whittle’s calls for action, a council spokesperson said at the time the local authority was “still exploring routes to bring the site forward”.
It was understood Caerphilly Council still hoped to see the site redeveloped as part of the town’s wider regeneration.
At the time of the initial planning application, which was submitted by a different party, the project aimed to provide “29 high quality open market apartments specifically for over-55 tenants”, as well as a retail unit and a “rest area for coach drivers”.
In recommending the application be approved, council planning officers said the site “offers a unique opportunity for a mixed use… which will enable much needed housing to be provided in close proximity to the services offered in the town centre, together with a retail use that can complement the attractions offered by the castle”.
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