Club-site houses win approval

PLANS for 30 houses on the site of the former Hillside club in Tonyrefail have been approved.

The application from Tŷ Llwyd Development for the land on Capel Hill was recommended for approval by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council planning officers, and the planning and development committee voted unanimously in favour of it.

The 1.05-hectare site off Llantrisant Road was once home to the Hillside Country Club which was knocked down several years ago.

It is allocated for housing in the council’s current Local Development Plan but no affordable housing has been included because of viability issues.

The plans are for 14 three-bedroom houses and 16 four-bedroom houses with a new access road will built from Llantrisant Road and public open space.

In response to concerns over the distance between the development and neighbouring properties, the planning officer said they have a rough minimum guide of 21 metres and this is way in excess of that.

Councillor Danny Grehan, who represents the ward where the application is, said developments like this need somewhere in the middle where children can have a kickabout.

Cllr Grehan also asked for more details about the path from the development heading towards Llantrisant Road and for more information about any traffic calming measures.

The officer, responding to the point about having space for children to play in, said it is often a trade-off for developers between making a site viable and the infrastructure which takes over land.