WDL HOMES is set to start preparatory work on 299 new homes on the former Aberdare General Hospital site in Abernant, after being given the go-ahead by councillors.
The company, which is based in Penderyn, near Aberdare, received support for the application from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s planning committee at a meeting on Thursday 23 February. The site, off Abernant Road, has been vacant since the hospital closed in 2012.
John Butcher, Development Director at WDL Homes, said: “We are very much looking forward to taking the development to the next stage over the coming months and will work with both the council and the community to bring forward this exciting project, which will deliver high quality homes and add to the community of Abernant.
“The land, which was purchased in 2021, forms part of the Local Development Plan allocation for residential development, and has been sympathetically planned by the WDL specialist team of consultants to provide a range and mix of high-quality homes from one to five-bedroom properties, whilst respecting the unique parkland setting and special ecological features of the 42-acre site.”
As part of the planning agreement for the development, WDL Homes will contribute almost £1 million towards local education, £75,000 towards active travel improvements in close proximity to the site, and a bond of £500,000 to enable and ensure the commitments of the Travel Plan are achieved.
The development, which will be named Fothergill Park, will benefit from Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) funding, through its £35m Housing Viability Gap Fund, to support the remediation of the site. CCR and WDL will work closely in the early-stage delivery of the scheme to unlock the site for housing development.
There will be 269 homes built for private sale and a further 30 homes will be designated as affordable housing, which will be made available to local people through rent or shared ownership. The first homes are due to become available in spring 2024.
Carly Maidment, Sales and Customer Relations Manager at WDL Homes, said: “We are pleased to have secured the consent to bring new purpose to this prominent site in Abernant and I am very much looking forward to marketing Fothergill Park and introducing the new product alongside our established range.
“The development enjoys a number of neighbourhoods of varying character interlinked by green corridors and active travel routes.
“Its location, near Aberdare town centre, makes it well suited for new housing in terms of sustainability, allowing residents to take advantage of both the existing public transport networks and the vibrant commercial centre of the town itself. This will in turn provide an opportunity for enhanced economic growth as more people support those local businesses.
“A high proportion of WDL staff are from the local area and we have a general policy to engage local contractors wherever possible so there will be a genuine interest in delivering the best results for Abernant.”
Aberdare General Hospital was opened on the site in 1917 and closed in 2012 when medical services transferred to the new facility at Ysbyty Cwm Cynon in Mountain Ash.
For more information about the new homes being built by WDL Homes, visit wdlhomes.co.uk.
