Plans for nearly 300 homes at the former Aberdare General Hospital site have been given the go-ahead.
WDL Homes is set to start preparatory work on its 299 home development at Abernant after securing planning consent approval from Rhondda Cynon Taff Council. Aberdare General Hospital was opened in 1917 and closed in 2012 when medical services were transferred at a new facility at Ysbyty Cwm Cynon in Mountain Ash.
John Butcher, development director at WDL Homes, which is based in Penderyn, said: “We are very much looking forward to taking the development to the next stage over the coming months and will work with both the council and the community to bring forward this exciting project, which will deliver high quality homes and add to the community of Abernant.”
WDL Homes acquired the site in 2021. It forms part of the council’s local development plan allocation for residential development. The scheme will provide a range of homes from one to five-bedroom. Some 269 were be for private sale with 30 designated as affordable housing, which will be made available to local people through rent or shared ownership. The first homes are due to become available in spring 2024 with all homes scheduled to be completed in 2028.
As part of the planning agreement, WDL Homes will contribute almost £1m towards local education, £75,000 on active travel improvements in close proximity to the site, and a bond of £500,000 to enable and ensure the commitments of the travel plan are achieved.
The development, which will be known as Fothergill Park, will also benefit from Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) funding, through its £35m Housing Viability Gap Fund. The repayable finance will support the remediation of the site.
Carly Maidment, sales and customer relations manager at WDL Homes, said: “We are pleased to have secured the consent to bring new purpose to this prominent site in Abernant and I am very much looking forward to marketing Fothergill Park and introducing the new product alongside our established range.
“Its location, near Aberdare town centre, makes it well suited for new housing in terms of sustainability, allowing residents to take advantage of both the existing public transport networks and the vibrant commercial centre of the town itself. This will in turn provide an opportunity for enhanced economic growth as more people support those local businesses.
“A high proportion of WDL staff are from the local area and we have a general policy to engage local contractors wherever possible so there will be a genuine interest in delivering the best results for Abernant.”
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