PLANS for a hotel on the former Bingo Hall and Angharad’s Nightclub site in Pontypridd have taken another step forward.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is looking for a partner to help deliver the project and cabinet members will be asked to approve the start of the procurement process.

The buildings, which the cabinet report described as “vacant and
dilapidated,” were bought with a £2.2m investment from the council and Welsh Government in March 2020 and then demolished in August 2021 leaving the site ready for development.

The report on the Pontypridd’ Placemaking Plan due to go before cabinet on Monday, February 28 said expert advice has been commissioned to “explore a range of commercial uses to strengthen the viability of the town together with opportunities for new distinctive architecture that builds on the town’s unique assets and strengthens its sense of place.”

The report said that the advice clearly supports a hotel-led development with retail uses at the lower ground floor in this “prominent location” and a “market testing” exercise showed that there are developers and operators interested in taking this forward.

If cabinet members approve, a formal procurement exercise will take place over the next six months to find a development partner to take forward the project.

The report said: “The council will work closely with potential development partners to ensure the best outcome for the town centre.”

It added that costs associated with the procurement process for securing a development partner for the hotel-led development will be funded from existing resources and that the financial implications of the actual development will be subject to a further report.

Also included in the report on the Pontypridd Placemaking Plan is a proposal to apply for Welsh Government funding to demolish the former Marks and Spencer, Dorothy Perkins and Burtons buildings on Taff Street to make way for future redevelopment of the site.