PLANS for flats in the centre of Aberdare have been approved by the council’s planning committee.
The application for a change of use and extension to provide seven new flats, keep the existing residential unit on the second floor and make improvements to commercial areas at 22-22a Cardiff Street in Aberdare were approved by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s planning committee on Thursday, October 19.
It is a resubmission of a previous application and went before committee in September but it was deferred to allow further discussion with the applicant to overcome the concerns of committee around the room sizes proposed and the resulting quality of accommodation.
Changes have been made as a result and these include flats one, three and six being amended so that the single bedroom is larger whilst still providing a double bedroom of sufficient size and flats two, four and seven being altered to create one double bedroom with the size of the living/kitchen area being increased and these are now one-bedroom flats.
Planning officers had initially recommended approval saying: “The application is considered acceptable in principle and compliant with planning policy at the local and national level.
“The site is situated in a highly sustainable location with good access to transport options and local services and facilities.
“The intended use of the site would be compatible with the wider Cardiff Street area that is characterised by an increasing number of shops at street level with residential accommodation over.
“Though the proposals involve a substantial extension of the property at the rear second floor level the proposals remain in keeping with the general character scale and design of the wider area, and the reuse of the site will inevitably uplift the appearance of what is currently a dated and tired looking building the appearance of which is generally to the detriment of the town centre.
“The proposals have limited impact on the residents of surrounding properties despite the proposed extension and future occupants of the flats would benefit from more than adequate living space.
“Whilst the proposals do not involve the provision of any parking space, Members should note that given the location Highways and Transportation have not objected to the proposals given the town centre location and proximity to good public transport options.”
The application site is a mid-terraced property that is directly adjacent to Cardiff Street to the west and Duke Street to the east.
The property is split level to accommodate the topography of the land that slopes from west to east and it is within the defined retail boundary of Aberdare, which is designated as a principal town centre.
Surrounding land is most commonly made up of commercial and residential properties and it is partly located within the C2 Flood Zone, the planning report said.
Two letters of objection were received and presented to committee in September and these said that Cardiff Street is a permit parking regime and there is not enough space to meet the needs of existing residents with more permits than space available and more residents pursuing the same amount of space would make life more difficult for existing residents.
They also said many local residents are elderly and fear walking from Duke Street late at night if no on-street parking is available on Cardiff Street.
They also said that is feared that during construction works vans and lorries will be parked up on Cardiff Road limiting opportunities for locals to park.
The objections said that the permit areas are important to the people living on Cardiff Street and whilst it would be a good thing to have the building improved and new accommodation provided, some thought needs to be given to existing residents.
They also asked if it would be possible to designate an area of the Duke Street car park for Cardiff Street resident permit holders only.
Councillor Sharon Rees, the chair of the committee, said this is the third or fourth iteration of the plan and she does not apologise at all for the committee making sure that when they pass a plan it is decent accommodation that they agree to.
Committee member Councillor Ross Williams said he’d rather something come back six times and make the right decision than make the popular one which sometimes isn’t the right decision.
He said the applicant has come back with a suitable solution and added that the building is an eyesore and bringing it back into use is great.
