A former Rhondda church is to be turned into flats after councillors gave plans their backing. The conversion of the former Ystrad English Congregational Church in Ton Pentre into 11 flats was approved by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s planning committee on Thursday, November 3.
The church was built in the late 1800s but stopped being a place of worship in early 2020. Minor changes will be made to the outside of the building and the main access will be from an existing doorway on Church Street whilst what was formerly the public entrance on Church Road would be blocked up.
The application from Taff Developments Ltd was for a mixture of one and two-bed flats on four floors. These will be market flats for sale but the section 106 agreement will require a financial contribution equal to 30% of the open market value of one of the two-bedroom flats.
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The planning report said that, apart from this and general replacement and repair works, the footprint, scale and form of the building would be unaltered, since the majority of the works would be internal.
It added that no off-street parking can be provided but said the small green space to the north-facing part of the site would be landscaped, together with a new gate and there would be an enclosed cycle store.
One letter of objection was received which raised concerns about the lack of parking provision.
It said an existing problem is caused by people parking near the site to catch the train to Cardiff and by large lorries delivering to the nearby builder’s yard.
It also said there is a right of way through the back of the church for numbers 21 and 22 Church Street, that the church is a home to bats, that there are already flats next door to the site and the application does not acknowledge the trees and hedge on site.
But planning officers recommended approval and said: “The proposed development would contribute towards the local housing supply and provide a range of one and two-bedroom flats in a sustainable and convenient location.
“In addition, the reuse and conversion of the building would secure the retention of a prominent and attractive building, remove opportunities for dereliction, and result in a positive impact to the street scene.
“Whilst there are concerns the site is physically incapable of providing any
off-street parking, these have been set against the benefits of the re-use of the site and its proximity to local facilities and the rail and bus network.”
Councillor Sharon Rees, the chair of the planning committee, said: “It is nice to see a conversion project that actually makes the best use of the accommodation and offers some good quality accommodation.”
Fellow committee member Councillor Wendy Lewis said it was a pleasure to look at the plans and see it was good accommodation for a change.
Committee member Councillor Ross Williams said he thinks it’s an “absolutely lovely looking building” and there are a couple of derelict churches in his ward and he’d love to see the same sort of development.
He said: “It’s a pleasure to see after some of the things that we do see.”
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