THE SITE of a former GP surgery in Neath Port Talbot, which is currently described as being a major eyesore, could be set for redevelopment as a renewed planning bid has been lodged after a previous application had lapsed.
The site of the former Briton Ferry Health Centre located on Hunter Street was demolished after a fire, which was believed to have been started deliberately in 2017, burned the building down.
It has been left vacant ever since, with plans later submitted to the local authority to build a 40-bedroom nursing home on the land based at the junction of Ritson Street and Hunters Street, in Briton Ferry.
The development proposed the construction of a two-storey, detached 40-bed nursing home that would occupy the majority of the land along with a parking area in the south eastern area of the property.
However, as the work has not yet begun it means developers have now had to hand in a new application to the council, requesting an extension to the time frame given for the construction work to start.
If approved by the local council it would mean that despite having already had permission to build the nursing home in the town for four years, developers would be given an additional four years for the work to get started.
It has led to a number of complaints from the local community in Briton Ferry who say something needs to be done with this site as soon as possible, as it is currently a major eyesore in the town, with overgrown grass, a blocked off pavement, and a crumbling ply-board fence that surrounds its borders.
Kristopher Pemberton, who is a town councillor and Mayor for Briton Ferry, said there had been a number of complaints from residents who lived on the street. He said: “There has been some local concern in Briton Ferry over the site of the former GP surgery, as it has really become an eyesore in the town.
“At the moment the pavement is blocked off and it’s surrounded by a wooden ply fence which is coming down in the bad weather. There has been planning consent there now for around four years and as the town council we are worried that no work has yet been done.”
The latest application for the extension of planning permission for the nursing home will now be considered by the Neath Port Talbot’s planning authority over the coming months.
