PLANS to create student accommodation in Treforest which have been approved would be a “burden” on the people who live in the area.
The application for a new building to house eight units on land south of 86 Wood Road was approved by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s planning committee on Thursday, December 5.
The accommodation will be over three floors with three units at both ground and first-floor level and two units and a communal space at second-floor level.
Three off-street car parking spaces would be provided.
There was one letter of objection, which said the site is not large enough to occupy so many tenants, there is a parking problem in the area and existing residents struggle to park even though they have permits, there have been minor traffic accidents due to congestion and the proposal is unfair and will make the existing parking issue worse.
Local councillor Steve Powderhill said: “The new student accommodation is in an oversaturated student accommodation area.”
He said the building would take away from number 86’s rear garden and that off road parking from number 86 had already been taken out to give to the new build.
He said this isn’t needed and that student accommodation isn’t full adding that this is “pure greed.”
He said there are no CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) payments, no council tax payments and a “burden on the council and a bigger burden on the people who live in the area.”
He said that every HMO (House of Multiple Occupation) is a household of individual people who can each apply for an individual parking permit so they could have eight new permits on a road that has absolutely no parking.
He said that they have eight individual refuse collections so that’s three bags per person every three weeks which is 24 bags and the whole of Treforest is the same.
Committee member Councillor Loretta Tomkinson said the area is saturated with student accommodation and she doesn’t feel like any more is needed.
A further consultation was done when amended plans were submitted which set the building further to the south of plot and there were no further letters of objection.
In recommending approval, planning officers said: “The application site is located within the defined settlement boundary and within a highly sustainable location where the principle of purpose-built student accommodation is considered acceptable.
“Whilst the proposed building would be of a three-storey scale, it is not considered that it would have an unacceptable impact upon the character and appearance of the site or the surrounding area; or upon the amenity and privacy of surrounding residential properties.
“Furthermore, it is not considered the proposal would have any detrimental impact upon highway safety in the vicinity of the site.”
