Outline planning permission has been granted for a GBP200m new town centre development for the communities of Llantrisant, Talbot Green, Pontyclun and neighbouring villages.
The application by Talbot Green Developments, a joint venture between Scarborough Development Group and Valad Europe, was granted permission by Rhonda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and follows extensive consultation with the local community and other stakeholders through a series of public exhibitions.
The plans include a 108,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s supermarket and a further 344,000 sq ft of retail space, including a department store and 40 shops suitable for high street brands. A leisure and entertainment quarter will contain a multi-screen cinema complex, cafes, restaurants, bars and a hotel. In addition, there will be office space for local businesses, a range of civic and community facilities, residential apartments and townhouses. There will also be improvements to the local highways network and better connections for public transport, cycling and pedestrians.
The town centre development will be built on mainly brownfield land, including the sites of the former Purolite and Staedtler factories, alongside the A473, 10 miles north-west of Cardiff and close to the M4 motorway.
In October 2012, an application for detailed planning consent for the Sainsbury’s store was submitted and, if granted, will be the first phase of the development to proceed.
Andy Richardson, head of UK development at Valad Europe, says: “With outline planning in place, we have passed a major milestone in this scheme. Once complete, this major new development will provide a great boost to the local economy, increasing prosperity in the area and transforming it into an important hub for shopping and leisure, as well creating up to 1,900 new jobs.”
Mark Jackson, managing director of Scarborough Development Group, says: “We are extremely pleased with the council’s decision. During our consultation we were encouraged by the feedback from the communities of Talbot Green, Pontyclun, Llantrisant and the surrounding areas, who expressed a strong appetite for the development. It has been a long process to get to this point and we now look forward to progressing to the next stage of the project.”