Cynon Valley

Town centre flats plan will go ahead

That’s despite fears about parking:

- ANTHONY LEWIS anthony.lewis@trinitymir­ror.com

PLANS to bring two empty Aberdare town centre buildings back to life look have been approved

Planners at Rhondda Cynon Taf council approved plans to refurbish and build 11 new affordable flats on the upper floor of the former Black Lion Hotel on Wind Street with a commercial use on the ground floor which could be a restaurant or a cafe.

They also approved plans for seven affordable flats at the nearby former Exchange Building on Griffith Street which was previously given planning permission for office use.

The Grade II listed Black Lion Hotel has been left empty for more than a decade and has previously been described as an “eyesore” by council leader Andrew Morgan who said the proposed redevelopm­ent was part of a bid to stop the decline of RCT town centres.

Five letters of objection were sent to the council relating to both applicatio­ns by residents living the area citing concerns over the lack of parking provision.

Daniel Nugent who lives close to both sites said that “parking is a nightmare” and that after 4pm each day parking is a “free for all.”

He said: “I can’t see how it can be turned into flats.

“It is an absolute nightmare in the area.”

But Mr Hurley responded that the level of car parking required is less than if the Exchange was being used for office space and the highly sustainabl­e nature of the sites being in a town centre means they are easily accessible through other forms of transport.

Councillor Pauline Jarman said: “It is not going to deliver the vitality that is claimed. I wish it every success but I don’t think it will deliver the types of improvemen­ts that this report suggests.”

Councillor­s have also been recommende­d to approve plans for seven flats at the nearby former Exchange Building on Griffith Street.

The plan would include five one bedroom flats and two two bedroom flats for the building which was previously earmarked for office space.

The former workhouse and council building as sold by RCT council in 2014 and has previously had planning permission approved for office use.

John Hurley, the agent for the applicant, said both plans would “secure the future of two prominent key town centre buildings.”

He also said the devel- opments would provide “new affordable housing which would go some way to meeting significan­t demand.”

He said both developmen­ts would “improve the future of Aberdare” with residents using shops and services and they are in a highly sustainabl­e location in the town centre with access by all modes of transport.

He added that the Black Lion Hotel developmen­t would “improve the overal character of the conservati­on area” as the building had fallen into quite a bad level of disrepair.

Referring to the potential commercial use of the ground floor of the building for commercial use, Cllr Jarman said: “I would hate the possibilit­y of this beinfg taken up by a takeaway.”

Coun Danny Grehan pointed out that these buildings are on the edge of the town centre so the presence of cars and late night noise makes it more problemati­c.

The committee approved both applicatio­ns but conditions for the Black Lion Hotel over constructi­on management and that takeaways be excluded from the possible uses of the commercial ground floor space.

 ??  ?? The old Black Lion pub in Aberdare town centre
The old Black Lion pub in Aberdare town centre

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