Go-ahead for health centre
A LONG-AWAITED new £4m health centre looks set to be given the go-ahead by councillors.
The proposed twostorey centre has been recommended for approval. The new building will replace three current surgeries.
A LONG-AWAITED new £4m health centre in the Cynon Valley looks set to be given the go ahead by councillors.
The proposed twostorey primary and community care centre for land off Henry Street and Miskin Road in Mountain Ash town centre has been recommended for approval.
The new building located south of Mountain Ash railway station will replace three current surgeries in Mountain Ash including Cynon Vale Medical Practice on Cardiff Road, Rhos House Surgery on Oxford Street and Hillcrest Medical Centre on Pryce Street.
Apollo Capital Projects has applied for permission to build the new surgery on behalf of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.
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.
The design and access statement said the three 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 that 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.
Planning committee approved an extension of permission in November but they 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 in the area.
The site is within the recently designated Mountain Ash Town Centre
Regeneration Framework and is included along with other projects such as Rhos (Guto) Square, the Mountain Ash Cross Valley Link, the town centre maintenance grant, the community hub and the redevelopment of 1-4 Oxford Street.
The health centre development will also include 28 visitor car parking spaces and 11 staff parking spaces with three disabled spaces, a bin store and a bicycle store.
If approved, work could start on the site in the next couple of months according to the health board’s timetable.
The council planning report said: “The application represents a much needed and long-awaited facility for the residents of Mountain Ash.
“The new health centre is located within a highly sustainable location accessible by the full range of transportation and pedestrian options.
“The facility will also enhance the vitality and viability of the town centre.”
Officers said the fact the site is in a flood zone gives them cause for concern but that the applicant has satisfactorily demonstrated that they have identified the risks which can be managed.
They said they have also acknowledged the “significant concerns” of Natural Resources Wales but the council’s officers say that these risks are acceptable and, on balance, are outweighed by other material planning considerations.
RCT’s planning and development committee were due to discuss the application at a meeting today.