New health centre gets the go-ahead
A NEW £4m health centre for Mountain Ash has been given the go-ahead.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s planning committee voted to approve plans for a primary and community care centre for land off Henry Street and Miskin Road in Mountain Ash town centre.
The new building, located south of Mountain Ash railway station, will replace the current surgeries in Mountain Ash including Cynon Vale Medical Practice in Cardiff Road and Rhos House Surgery in Oxford Street.
Along with improvements over the existing surgery facilities, the centre will provide a number of community facilities including a health education room and facilities for community-based staff. There will be the same number of doctors but also enhanced services, with some nurse-led services that currently are either not available in the current surgeries or only have limited capacity and times.
The design and access statement said the current GP surgeries have “insufficient accommodation for their needs” and the Cynon Vale in particular has “no capacity” for more patients, which will become an issue with the growth of population in the region.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s estate strategy said the current practices “fall well below acceptable standards and are noncompliant with infection control, disability access and area allowance issues”.
The Cynon Vale practice currently has temporary consent for the use of Portakabins on the site and this has been renewed several times.
The planning committee approved an extension of permission in November but expressed “serious concerns” over the lack of progress being made on the new health care facility and asked the health board to set out a timetable for it.
The new site also lies in a flood zone and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said it has “significant concerns” over flooding.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, the leader of the council and also the local councillor, said the development has been a long time coming.
He said that when he was first elected 15 years ago he had heard the development was six to 12 months away.
Cllr Morgan said: “I am pleased that members of the planning committee have given consent for the new £4m Mountain Ash health centre development to proceed.
“This will be a significant benefit for residents in Mountain Ash, offering a centralised and vastly improved medical facility that is located in the town centre housing the existing practices.
“Both surgeries are at near-full capacity and their current premises are not fit for purpose.
“I have been lobbying for funding for new facilities for a number of years, pressing both the Welsh Government and local health board to improve facilities, and after several difficulties along the way it is pleasing to see this last step being taken before construction can finally start in late October or November.”
On the issue of flooding, he said the proposed staff car park lies in the flood zone but it would take catastrophic flooding with waters around 8ft deep to flood this area.