A disused college campus in Pontypool could be demolished and replaced with more than 100 affordable homes. Planning documents show the former Coleg Gwent site on Blaendare Road could become a new estate of 134 homes, with the application submitted to the council last week.
Site history and application
Coleg Gwent initially closed its Pontypool campus in 2020, after which the building was used as a Covid vaccination centre during the pandemic. It was temporarily reopened for construction apprenticeships before closing permanently in summer 2023, and the principal building was also used by Gwent Police for dog training.
Housing association Hedyn, formed through the merger of Melin Homes and Newport City Homes, has lodged the planning application.
Housing mix and facilities
Race AFC's football pitch, which sits within the 5.5-hectare site, would be preserved under the proposals, along with a planned new changing facility and car park for the sports ground. It is also proposed that 107 Blaendare Road, owned by Hedyn, be demolished to provide access to the new development, while an existing wide entrance on the north-western side would be kept as an additional key access point.
The new housing would overlook the football pitch to the north of the site, largely screened from Blaendare Road by the college buildings earmarked for demolition. The majority of the 134 homes would be flats, including 39 one-bedroom flats with shared access and 26 one-bedroom "walk up" flats, alongside 32 two-bedroom houses, 23 three-bedroom homes, nine four-bedroom houses and five two-bedroom bungalows.
Planning context
A supporting statement submitted with the application says the site benefits from "easy pedestrian access to local facilities via the existing road and footpath network", with a bus route on Blaendare Road providing links to Pontypool town centre. The statement outlines plans for "low carbon social housing" and an intention to provide tenants "with the best possible living environment".
The site at Blaendare Road in Cwmynyscoy has been earmarked as a potential affordable housing site in Torfaen Borough Council's local development plan since 2013. The ex-college is among several brownfield locations designated for residential development in the plan, with construction recently starting on 143 new properties at the former County Hall site in Croesyceiliog, while approval has been granted for housing at the former police training college in Cwmbran. The proposals are currently under consideration by the planning department.
