Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) planning committee has approved plans for a new coffee and tapas bar in Llantrisant, a mixed-use development with 15 flats in Aberdare town centre, and a battery energy storage system near Cilfynydd. The committee met on Thursday, November 5 to consider several planning applications from across the county borough.
At the same meeting, the committee deferred a decision on plans for flats at a former hotel in Tylorstown and agreed to hold a site visit regarding plans for hardstanding, fencing and the change of use of land to a residential garden in Cwmparc.
Mixed-use development with 15 flats in Aberdare
The former Wilko store in Aberdare town centre is set to be redeveloped with 15 new flats. Plans have been approved for a mixed-use development including the renovation, extension and change of use of the former Wilkinson store at 10-13 Cardiff Street.
The planning report states that the property has been in retail use for many years but has remained empty since the closure of the former Wilko store in 2023. It also notes that the building appears to be falling into a state of disrepair and has experienced instances of anti-social behaviour and vandalism in recent months.
Planning officers said: “The proposed development would bring a prominent vacant building within Aberdare Town Centre back into beneficial use, delivering 15 residential units whilst retaining an active ground-floor commercial use.”
They added that the development would provide social, economic and environmental benefits, support the vitality and viability of Aberdare Town Centre, and contribute to the regeneration of a long-term vacant property. The site is described as a highly sustainable location with excellent access to services, facilities and public transport.
New coffee and tapas bar in Llantrisant
A new coffee and tapas bar has been approved for Llantrisant. It will involve the change of use of an empty shop at Traditional Toys, 6 Bullring, and is a resubmission of an earlier application that was refused because the proposed use was considered likely to cause significant noise and disturbance to neighbouring residents.
The resubmission included three changes, such as opening hours being reduced from 9am to midnight Mondays to Saturdays to 9am to 10pm, and from 10am to 11pm on Sundays and bank holidays to 10am to 9pm. A site-specific acoustic report followed an inspection on August 6, and a defined operating model and conditions were included.
There were 28 letters of support and two letters of objection from the local community following consultation. Joe Ayoubkhani spoke at the meeting on behalf of the Grother family in support of the proposal.
He said: “The proposal would bring a vacant commercial building back into use, offer something different to residents and visitors, and generate additional footfall for businesses within Llantrisant’s historic town centre.”
Battery energy storage system near Cilfynydd
A battery energy storage system has been approved in Rhondda Cynon Taf despite concerns from residents over noise, traffic and visual impact. The approved application from Pegasus Energy Group covers land north and south of National Road near Cilfynydd and involves the construction, operation and subsequent decommissioning of a battery energy storage system (BESS) and associated infrastructure.
It will have a generating capacity of up to 200MW, allowing for the import, storage and export of electricity generated from renewable energy sources. The development would have an operational lifespan of up to 40 years and cover three parcels of land, including the battery storage compound, the substation compound and the underground cable route.
Objectors raised concerns over character and appearance, highways, amenity, fire risk and contamination. Council officers recommended approval, and Councillor Loretta Tomkinson said it is a “significant” development in a rural area but recognised the importance of the proposal in supporting renewable energy.
Cwmparc and Tylorstown decisions
Concerns around access to the mountainside above Cwmparc have resurfaced with a new application, but a decision has not yet been made. The application at Ger Y Coed off Vicarage Terrace seeks permission for new fencing, turning a plot of land into a new garden, and adding crushed aggregate to a path. The committee voted in favour of having a site visit before making a decision.
The application has attracted 61 individual objections, with the committee report also recording objections from Senedd Members Heledd Fychan and Andrew RT Davies, as well as former Senedd Member Rhys Ab Owen. Objectors have raised concerns about inappropriate materials and engineering works, the scale and appearance of the fencing, countryside encroachment, and extending residential curtilage beyond the settlement boundary.
Local councillor and Open Spaces Society director Richard Clarke, who objected to the scheme before being elected as a ward councillor, argues that the combination of hardstanding, substantial fencing, gates and enclosure amounts to the gradual domesticisation of previously open land and harms the visual character of the transition between Cwmparc and the mountainside.
In documents released by Natural Resources Wales under environmental information legislation, the applicant described plans to purchase the neighbouring plot and then apply for the claimed right of way to be moved from its existing position onto that land. They also sought Natural Resources Wales' agreement to use the land for a bridleway and said the proposed solution would maintain the security and privacy of the home while getting people "back onto the mountain".
A decision on plans to turn the former Jubilee Hotel in East Road, Tylorstown into 12 residential apartments was deferred by Rhondda Cynon Taf so council planners can enter into discussions with the developer over the type of accommodation being proposed. One of the local councillors for Tylorstown and Ynyshir, Cllr Julie Edwards, said at the meeting: “My concern today is whether this proposal will meet the needs of Tylorstown and contribute positively to the community.”
She said her objection is not to single person properties but to concentrating more of the same type of accommodation in a very small area rather than providing a broader mix of properties. It is understood that, as well as its use as a hotel, the ground floor of the site has previously been used for a bar, restaurant and takeaway food. Planning officers said the proposed development would bring a currently vacant building back into beneficial use through its conversion to residential flats in a manner compatible with the character and function of the surrounding area and within a sustainable location.
