Approval for homes planned at school site

PLANS to build 40 homes on the site of a primary school which closed at the end of the summer term have been given the go-ahead.

The former Pencoed Primary School is to be demolished and 12 one-bed apartments, 15 two-bed houses, seven three-bed houses and six four-bed houses built in its place.

The new development on the 1.8-acre site will be 100% affordable housing, with the majority of homes being two storeys high.

Asbri Planning submitted the application to Bridgend County Borough Council on behalf of Jehu Group.

The flats’ accommodation block at the junction of Wimborne Road and Penprysg Road will be three storeys high.

The plans prompted a number of objections from residents living nearby, who raised fears over loss of privacy and highway safety with the increased traffic.

Ward councillor Alex Williams, who asked for the application to come before the planning committee on Thursday, August 30, said the number of homes contravened the local development plan, which allowed for a maximum of 20-30 homes on the site.

He also raised concerns over plans to provide two access points to the new development from Wimborne Road, saying it would have a detrimental impact on congestion.

In a planning report on the application, council officers said the high figure of homes on the site was partly skewed by the three-story block of flats which accommodated 12 homes on a small part of the site.

And they said the development would not have a significantly detrimental impact on the road network.

Councillors approved the plans subject to conditions which include a developer contribution of £34,000 towards the upgrading of existing outdoor recreation facilities in the vicinity of the application site and a contribution of £7,000 towards a new 20mph speed limit on the proposed estate road.

The main access to 28 homes will be on the western boundary of Wimborne Road.

The second vehicular access will serve the flats and be positioned along the southern site boundary on to Wimborne Road, around 20m from the existing road junction with Penprysg Road.

The old school includes a range of buildings that date back to the early 1900s.

A new £10.8m school has been built close to the site which brings together the infant and junior schools on to one site.

It opened to pupils on the first day of the new term on September 5.