PLANS for a social housing development in the Rhondda Fach have been approved.
The application from RHA Wales (Rhondda Housing Association) is for the development of 18 affordable dwellings, car parking, landscaping, sustainable drainage and associated works on land to the east of East Street in Tylorstown and was approved by councillors at a planning committee meeting on Thursday, March 7.
It will be made up of three two-bedroom houses, three three-bedroom houses, two four-bedroom houses, eight one-bedroom apartments and two two-bedroom apartments.
The planning report said that there will be direct access for pedestrians and vehicles to each property.
A new pavement and vehicle crossovers are included and the three blocks of apartments, all two storey, will be built at the northern end of the site with a small courtyard car park, a communal garden area and separate cycle and bin stores.
Each of the houses will have parking and a small garden area to the front, with larger enclosed gardens to the rear and there will be a landscaping plan and sustainable drainage features.
The application site is an irregular-shaped parcel of land, of around 0.32 hectares, which is located on East Street, close to its junctions with Hirwaun Place, Prospect Place and Edmondes Street.
One letter of objection was sent in to the council which said this would not be good for the area as previous developments have shown.
It said that people have been moved from outside Wales to live in RCT, that the council doesn’t look after people from the RCT area and it’s not fair on the people of East Street to have their view taken away.
It was recommended for approval by planning officers who said: “The design and layout of the development would make efficient and attractive use of the site and in contributing to the shortfall of quality affordable housing, would be sympathetic to the existing neighbouring land uses.”
They added: “The proposed scheme would result in a small housing development which would help to address local needs, as set out within the local housing market assessment, and which would help to create an attractive street scene.
“The impact of the development upon the residential amenity of the surrounding neighbouring properties and existing residents would be considered to be acceptable and the scheme could be delivered without detriment to highway safety.
“In addition, the development would provide a biodiversity net gain and appropriate consideration has been given to green infrastructure.”
Councillor Robert Bevan, a local councillor, said he welcomes the application and it’s good to see new housing stock coming in to the upper Rhondda Fach.
But he raised concern about the number of flats in the Tylorstown area with a word of caution about the number of single dwelling flats as they are creating properties where at the moment there is no demand adding that they do need new family accommodation.
He also raised some questions about the plans for communal bin storage.
