Planning consent secured for modern dementia care home in Ferndale

The Council is delighted that planning permission has been granted to deliver a new, 32-bed modern residential dementia care home in Ferndale. This is a key milestone towards a commitment made to provide a first-class care accommodation within the community – which can now be progressed.

Members granted full consent for the exciting development at the Planning and Development Committee on Thursday, August 13. It will replace the current Ferndale House Care Home, with the existing setting’s established and committed workforce transferring to the new development when it is completed, alongside its current residents. This has previously been agreed and is an absolute commitment to the community from the Council.

The modern facility will be built at the former ‘Chubb’ Factory site in Ferndale, and the community was able to find out more and have their say on the initial plans at a public event in March 2025 – and then within a wider engagement exercise up until June 2025. All feedback was considered and helped shape the final application, that was then considered by the committee on Thursday.

Thursday’s decision was made in line with an officer recommendation to approve the application. A report to Thursday’s meeting noted the scheme would respond to local need and helps address the identified demand for care home provision across Rhondda Cynon Taf. The home is also earmarked for a brownfield site and considered acceptable within all planning considerations.

The full consent grants permission to build the care home and associated facilities – such as office spaces, dining areas, a kitchen and laundry, as well as associated landscaping, car parking and sustainable drainage externally. The site will continue to use the current access from the A4233 via Ferndale Industrial Estate. The site itself is vacant with all former buildings removed.

Councillor Gareth Caple, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Social Care, said: “I’m very pleased that the Planning and Development Committee has supported the Council’s application to provide a modern care accommodation for people with dementia, in the community of Ferndale. The Council previously made a commitment that the decommissioning of Ferndale House Care Home would only be done when this modern accommodation is built, with all dedicated staff and the residents they care for given the option to transfer to the new facility. That is still absolutely the case, and Thursday’s granting of planning permission is an important step in this process.

“The development in Ferndale will become the latest of several recent investments to modernise residential care options for older people. Since 2020, we’ve opened Maesyffynon and Cwrt yr Orsaf extra care housing in Aberaman and Graig, while a third state-of-the-art extra care facility has recently been constructed and handed over to the Council in Porth. We’re also progressing well with building a new specialist care facility in Gelli, which will be completed later this year – while a mixed care accommodation in Mountain Ash started its construction phase earlier this year for delivery in 2027. There is also a future commitment for a specialist care accommodation in Church Village.

“I’d like to thank everyone who took part in last summer’s engagement activity as we shared initial plans for the Ferndale development at that time. The local feedback was invaluable to help officers submit the final planning application. Following Thursday’s approval by the committee, the development can now be progressed towards the construction phase. The community will be kept up-to-date with progress as we move towards delivering this fantastic project.”