Rock Grounds Aberdare, The M&S Connection: The Facts

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council opened its riverside plaza on the former Marks & Spencer site in Pontypridd — a development funded by £5.6 million of public money, built on land cleared at a demolition cost of £1.689 million. Council Leader Councillor Ann Crimmings visited the site personally to celebrate what the Council describes as a regeneration success story.

AberdareOnline sets out below the facts as we know them, and the Council’s response.

The M&S Planning Application

In 2017, a company called DR Real Estate Wales Ltd submitted a planning application — reference 17/1217/FUL — to redevelop the former Marks & Spencer store in Pontypridd. The proposal included retail refurbishment and residential development, providing 44 flats in a mix of one and two-bedroom units, at no cost to the public.

RCT’s own Planning Department recommended the application for approval, citing benefits including enhanced architectural quality, improved vitality and increased vibrancy in the town centre.

The application never proceeded. The Council subsequently purchased the building and demolished it at a cost of £1.689 million in public grants. The demolition was completed in April 2024. The riverside plaza that replaced it opened June 25, 2026.

The director of DR Real Estate Wales Ltd is Nature of business (SIC)

74990 – Non-trading company

The Rock Grounds Development Agreement

In September 2024, RCT Council signed a Development Agreement with a company called Final Frontier Space Holdings Ltd for the redevelopment of the Rock Grounds Hotel in Aberdare — a landmark building in the heart of Aberdare town centre.

Final Frontier Space Holdings Ltd was incorporated in November 2020. It has two directors: David John Calway Edwards, the same director as DR Real Estate Wales Ltd, and Steven David Bines. The company has two employees.

Its registered correspondence address is the old Town Hall in Mountain Ash, a property understood to be leased by RCT Council.

A legal charge registered in October 2025 confirms that RCT Council is listed as the person entitled against the Rock Grounds site at 25A Victoria Square, Aberdare. This addresses the Boot Hotel, a Grade II-listed building in Aberdare, which has been transformed into affordable apartments.

AberdareOnline’s Questions

In November 2024, AberdareOnline wrote formally to RCT Chief Executive Paul Mee with ten detailed questions about these matters. Among the Council’s responses:

When asked why the M&S store was demolished when a private developer had proposed refurbishment at no public cost, the Council said there had been “no viable or deliverable private sector led redevelopment plan for the site since the closure of the store.”

When asked for financial due diligence documentation on Final Frontier Space Holdings Ltd, the Council declined to provide it, citing commercial sensitivity under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

When asked about the connection between Final Frontier Space Holdings and DR Real Estate Wales Ltd, the Council confirmed that David Edwards is a director of both companies.

The Council’s Response to This Story

AberdareOnline contacted the Council for comment before publication. A Council spokesman said:

“The Council rejects the misleading suggestion that there is any improper connection between the redevelopment of the former Marks & Spencer site in Pontypridd and the appointment of a development partner for the Rock Grounds in Aberdare.

“Although DR Real Estate Wales Ltd submitted a planning application for the former Marks & Spencer building in Pontypridd, the company did not own the freehold or leasehold interest and had not secured an agreement with the property owners. The proposal was acceptable in planning terms.

“The property subsequently failed to sell on the open market, despite having planning permission. This demonstrated clear market failure, and, without Council intervention, the vacant building would have continued to deteriorate and harm the town centre.

“The Council therefore negotiated the acquisition of the relevant leasehold and freehold interests so that a deliverable regeneration scheme could be developed.

“The riverside plaza was developed through the Pontypridd Town Centre Placemaking Plan and followed public consultation, with more than 85% of respondents supporting new public spaces linking the town centre with the River Taff and Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. The funding was ring-fenced for regeneration and could not have been used to support day-to-day Council services.

“The Rock Grounds project in Aberdare is entirely separate. Final Frontier Space Holdings Ltd was appointed through an open and transparent procurement process in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and was required to demonstrate appropriate financial and operational capacity.

“The fact that one individual is a director of companies connected with both projects does not establish a conflict of interest or any improper connection.

“References to the company’s employee numbers, turnover and correspondence address do not demonstrate that the procurement process was deficient. Development projects are frequently delivered through dedicated corporate structures.

“The Council must balance transparency with its legal obligations to protect commercially sensitive information. The application of a statutory exemption under the Freedom of Information Act does not mean that due diligence was not undertaken, nor does it provide evidence of any impropriety.

“The Council remains committed to restoring the Rock Grounds and securing a sustainable future for this important Aberdare building.”

What Remains Unanswered

The Council’s response addresses a number of the points raised but does not answer all of them. AberdareOnline notes that the following questions remain without a specific public response:

How many companies bid in the tender process for the Rock Grounds development, and what was the scoring that led to Final Frontier Space Holdings being selected?
Why is the correspondence address of Final Frontier Space Holdings the old Town Hall in Mountain Ash, a property understood to be leased by the Council itself?
Given the shared directorship between Final Frontier Space Holdings and DR Real Estate Wales Ltd, was this relationship formally declared and considered as part of the procurement process?

AberdareOnline will continue to monitor the Rock Grounds development and will report further as the story develops. Residents with information relevant to this story are welcome to contact us.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13013757

https://open.endole.co.uk/insight/company/13013757-final-frontier-space-holdings-ltd

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10290941

aberdareonline.co.uk/2023/07/21/rock-grounds-development-proposal-progresses-to-the-next-stage/