PLANS for more than 200 houses to be built on land near Maesteg have taken a step closer, after an outline planning approval was granted by Bridgend Council’s planning committee.
The proposals could see a total of 201 houses developed on the former Revlon factory at Ewenny Road in Maesteg, which has been abandoned for more than ten years.
While the development has been in the planning stages for a number of years, the site’s master plan has had to be revised to ensure it could meet local housing, employment, and transportation needs.
If given full approval, the project, which is a joint venture between the council and the main landowner, would see the creation of a large number of houses as well as an employment hub, retail space, and public open space. It will also include a parcel of land set aside for a transport interchange in order to “strengthen public transport connections to and from Maesteg.”
The latest report read: “The overall vision for the site is to provide a distinctive and high-quality development which enhances this suburban area of Maesteg. The development will deliver circa 201 new dwellings with associated public open space. It will provide a choice of housing to meet the growing needs of the area, 15% of which will be affordable.”
It comes after funding of £3.5 million was awarded to the project by the Cardiff Capital Region in 2022, to be used on several major infrastructure works, such as diverting a historic mining drain and backfilling several mine shafts to make the site ready for the proposed development.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Martin Hughes said the site was special to the people of Maesteg as it once provided a livelihood for many people in the area, adding that the development would be a benefit to the town.
He said: “The town of Maesteg will benefit tremendously from this development. Not only will we see the ridding of an industrial site that has been derelict for so long and almost forgotten about, but it will transform in to providing these much needed 201 houses.”
The outline application was approved unanimously by members in attendance at a development control committee meeting held on January 12, however a full planning application will still need to be approved before any work can go-ahead.