Major Congestion heading for Abercwmboi and the rest of Cynon Valley
Posted by Lewis on the 17th September 2008
Happy days ahead for residents of Abercwmboi, with the plan to erect
500 dwellings on the former Phurnacite Plant the proposed access
between Bronallt Terrace and Glenboi.
500 dwellings with an average 2 vehicles per dwelling that’s an
extra 1000 vehicles traveling through Abercwmboi, there is no talk of
major road improvements to cater for the extra volume of traffic.
Below is a section taken from the Development Plan there is a link to the full plan on http://www.aberdareonline.org.uk/?q=content/no-hope-plan-rct
Site 3: Former Phurnacite Plant, Abercwmboi
Vision:
High quality residential development with a school and separate
employment development, set in the lush landscape of a restored valley
floor
Constraints:
Ground contamination;
Flood risk;
Sites of importance for nature conservation
Proposals:
Residential development of 500 units including a primary school
following removal of contamination and flood prevention works –
fronting the retained lakes and centred on the proposed school
Employment development – on the existing plateau to complete Aberaman Industrial Park
Formal recreation provision consisting of a replacement football ground – northwest of the retained lakes.
Access – the residential access will be from the B4275
Bronallt Terrace between Abercwmboi and Glenboi; the employment access
will be via Aberaman Industrial Park; the recreation access will be
from John Street via the existing football ground access
Riverside ecology park – land on both sides of the River
Cynon between the railway and the A4059
Phasing – the sports provision must be implemented before more than 75% of the residential development is completed.
Context:
The Phurnacite site is a generally flat, cleared industrial site
abutting Abercwmboi village to the south and the A4059 to the north. It
is divided by the Aberdare – Abercynon railway.
The core of the site lies south of the railway; there is an
elongated part north of the railway; and there is a separate third area
forming part of Aberaman Industrial Park.
The core of the site south of the railway includes formerly industrial
lakes of importance for nature conservation, to be retained for
drainage, ecological and visual amenity importance. North of the lakes
and the existing football ground, the opportunity is being taken to
allocate land for a replacement football ground with access from John
Street in the centre of Abercwmboi. The existing football ground will
then be available for informal recreation use. The majority of the core
part of the site is allocated for residential development, to
strengthen the local community by providing a wider range of house
types to encourage people to return to or to stay in the area.
Contamination and flood risk issues are capable of resolution. The
proposed school is an opportunity to provide the development with a
focal point, and the lakeside is a potentially attractive feature.
The elongated part north of the railway is virtually all affected by
flood risk and substantially affected by a site of importance for
nature conservation. Therefore this part is considered most suitable as
a riverside amenity open space.
The employment area consists of the flat, undeveloped part of
Aberaman Industrial Park. It occupies a plateau raised above the level
of the rest of the site. There is no proposal to connect this part
directly to the rest of the site for practical and amenity reasons.
Phasing – the limit on residential development is proposed to ensure
that the sports element is implemented. The physical separation of the
employment and other development areas means that there is no need to
link their implementation.
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We are entering a deep recession that is set to get worse and could last as long as twenty years according to some pundits. What the bunglers in RCT planning committee have in mind and what will actually transpire are two different things.
There is no need for more houses in Cynon Valley, no matter what the planners may tell us. Once again, it's a question of sucking up to the developers - greed not need, double standards and underhand dealing. You can guarantee that that's what's behind most of this.
These people are the blind leading the blind, telling us that the need for housing is paramount because there's a national housing shortage. Not here there isn't. They are following government guidelines on providing more houses throughout the country. That's in line with John Prescott's call for about two million extra homes to be built in Britain. But John Prescott wasn't thinking about Cynon Valley.
Like the Labour Party aparachniks in London, his priorities were the floodplains of the south of England. Wales didn't even get a look-in. However, what a brilliant opportunity for RCT council to once again appease the vested interests of their developer pals.
As the issue of the wind farms has shown, the planners on RCT council are so easily hoodwinked by big money and smooth talking developers from outside. They're a pushover for these spivs with flash suits and English accents, spouting their spiel that anyone with an once of clem could see was just flannel.
Let's not panic too quickly at the moment, because we're in for a rough ride, no matter what the clueless planners on RCT council would have us believe. After all, you can build as many houses as you like, but selling them in such an environment of financial restraint is another thing altogether.
its 'DISGUSTING' we don't need more houses in the valley.wherever you go there building work,and though some of it may be good,most of it is for builders etc to make cash.the council is only interested,in making money out
of it.they don't give a toss about the issues that matter.we are in a recession no matter what people say,just look at the latest fuss,LLOYDS TSB/HALIFAX TAKEOVER.the government is ruining this country and labour councils are part of it.a green and pleasant land i don't think so!!
myself i think the government and some councils should look at,immigration levels,crime,the cost of living.real issues for real people.all these so called councillors do nowt,but talk,get their pic in the paper.you only see them at election time.the valley used to be a nice place,but now it's all money,business,the councils don't give a monkeys.
bear.
people need to wake up and put a decent council in and bin labour i reckon.
Oh no not MORE HOUSES!!!!
The lunatics really have taken over the asylum, I thought there was a hospital going there?
Where can we all object? Seriously this time this is LUDICROUS.
I tell you what if this goes through, screw this valley.
Wow !, this sounds realy good. A brand new school Great !, New recreation grounds Great !, Landscaping the lakes Great !. New footaths and eco park, New jobs for the construction, lots of money coming to the area, Finaly doing somthing with the land that everyone wants developed. £1000's of extra pounds in council tax coming into the valley. QUALITY affordable housing in the area (that dosent have downstairs bathroom, dado rails and box size bedrooms). I think this proposed development will improve the area no end
We definately do NOT need more houses built here. You have only to look at the number of houses up for sale (my mother's is one of them as she passed away, leaving us the house to sell), but are not selling. I am all for more jobs in the valley however, so maybe a development of that sort should take place. That said, they should also be improving the road infrastructure as it will mean more traffic. If there were more office type jobs in the valley as well, maybe people like me wouldn't have to travel to Cardiff every day to work. Like I said though the roads would need expanding to cope. We are after all a valley, not a city.
I think Jos is probably right on the plan to revamp the old phurnacite plant, except that he's missed out one very important factor. If all these plans for a mass house building programme in Cynon Valley go ahead, where will the infrastructure to cope with them all come from?
Our roads are abyssmal, ditto the train service. And yet in spite of all this the Highways Department has given the green light for it all.
It's the magic mushroom season right now. Maybe our planners have been out in the woods with their pals in the Highways Department. Things can look so much brighter after a dose of psylocobin , I grant you, but not even that active ingredient is going to help Cynon Valley's communication problems one iota.
The myopia shown by our planners is the same as we see in the hedge fund managers and derivative traders who have brought on this current financial meltdown.
These are our so-called experts, trained supposedly through years of study at university to make decisions based on what is practically possible. All conditions of course, being taken into consideration.
That's not what happens though is it? They don't tell them at university about vested interests, double standards and the pressures of developers, who can easily mould councillors into the required shapes.
I'm all for housing where it's needed, but most of the current batch of proposals are not based on need at all. Quite the opposite. They are an appeasement of the developers, and an easy way to bring in extra council tax with no thought for the future or the adverse consequences on the environment.
So, Jos, your enthusiasm is quite understandable, and I'd go along with you on it, but only so far. When all factors are considered, the decisions of our planners are based on short sighted gain, greed and plain bloody stupidity!
This valley's environment is being slowly ruined by the total ignorance of RCT's planners and their developer pals. They have absolutely no idea about the long term effects of building houses that are not needed in places that are totally unsuitable to their plans.
Hirwaun flats and the former Rose Row estate are two examples of the sheer idiocy of so-called educated people making decisons that are way beyond their intelligence to make. Either that or there has been some strenuous arm twisting been going on in the backroom! You choose which.
Yep, this not a green and pleasant valley anymore. It's a valley full of 150k plus Barrett and Persimmon homes. I'm telling you the country park is not safe. As soon as all space is filled up the greedy will turn their attention there and use some loophole or other to steamroll it in.
That will be a sad sad day for Aberdare, the armpit of Wales.