Plans for 60 extra care flats in Porth set to be decided by councillors

Plans for 60 extra care flats in Porth are set to be decided by councillors.

The application is for the development of an extra care facility containing 60 apartments at the former Dan y Mynydd care home on Bronwydd Avenue in Cymmer.

The plan from Linc Cymru and Rhondda Cynon Taf Council also involves the demolition of the existing Dan y Mynydd care home as well as landscaping, sustainable drainage, a bin store, access and parking.

The former care home buildings have had no residents for some time and, in December 2020, cabinet agreed that a new Extra Care housing scheme would be built on the site.

The idea behind extra care is to provide modern accommodation with 24-hour support for older people’s assessed needs, allowing them to live as independently as possible and the development is part of the council’s strategy to modernise residential care options for older people.

In partnership with Linc, the council will provide 300 extra care places across
five new developments – including Maesyffynnon in Aberaman, which opened
last summer, and Cwrt yr Orsaf in Graig, which was finished in October.

The planning committee report said the applicant has already sought consent for demolition but this only considered the method of demolition on which with no concerns raised about this and a decision was made in June this year.

At the time the report was written, developers had carried out any asbestos removal and were about to begin the main demolition of the building.

It is likely that at the time of the committee meeting the building will either be
substantially or fully demolished, the report said.

As well as the flats, the building will house a dining area, a residents’ lounge, an activity room, a hair salon, a kitchen, a laundry, a guest sleepover bedroom, an assisted bathroom and a day care centre among other things.

There were four objections sent to the council relating to the application.

Concerns were raised over the height of the new building and that it will block
light to residential properties set at a lower level.

There was also concern that the windows and balconies will overlook the existing housing resulting in a loss of privacy.

Another worry was that the development will result in noise pollution from the increase in the numbers of occupants and visitors to the facility.

One objector requested that the electricity substation is relocated away from the nearby residential properties.

Another said that the bin store is situated too close to residential properties and will result in rat infestation and another said that the development will result in an increase in traffic and there is only one way into and out of the site (and therefore there are highway safety concerns).

But planning officers have recommended the application is approved and in the planning report they said: “The site lies within the settlement limits and, as such the proposed residential use is considered acceptable.”

Although they admitted that the proposed building is significantly larger than what was there before and that this will result in a significantly different view for residents who live near the site, they said the building is located so as to not have an unacceptable impact on the standards of amenity those people can reasonably expect to enjoy.

They said access to the site remains unchanged from the current situation but that the nature of the use is such that it is considered to be of “a relatively low intensity and therefore acceptable.”

The report said: “The proposed use will provide a much-needed facility to the county borough which bridges a gap between a person’s main ‘life’ home and the traditional nursing/care home facility.”

There would be 33 car parking spaces is proposed to be provided with three of these being wheelchair accessible.

There would also be a small outdoor cycle store and a buggy store with space for 12 buggies.

It is set to go before RCT Council’s planning committee on Thursday, December 16.