**Major Update on Plan for 600 New Homes in Tonyrefail**
Plans for the construction of up to 600 houses in Tonyrefail, which were initially approved almost nine years ago, have now been refused. The refusal comes due to a lack of progress on reaching agreements concerning affordable housing and open spaces. Newhall House LLP’s plans were given the green light by a Rhondda Cynon Taf Council committee back in 2016. However, since then, no significant progress has been made with the associated Section 106 legal agreement.
The planning report highlighted that there was no indication that the applicant would be able to move forward with the process. As a result, during a meeting on November 21, the planning committee authorised the head of prosperity and development to reject the plans. Originally submitted to the council in 2012, several issues arose due to the extensive scale of the proposal and site limitations. Consequently, the application wasn’t brought before the committee until April 2015.
Members of the committee raised concerns about the proposed site access at a subsequent meeting in May 2015, leading to further deferral for officers to address the issues with the applicant. Despite amendments being made, the application returned to the committee in February 2016 for approval but was subject to a Section 106 agreement. However, the applicant has failed to secure this agreement since the approval, leaving the application undecided without planning permission.
The Section 106 agreement was supposed to incorporate requirements such as a minimum of 10% affordable housing, on-site public open spaces with play areas, improvements to off-site sport pitches, and a maintenance plan by a management company for the public space. Despite discussions with the applicant in 2019, no progress was made, and contact has been minimal since January 2024.
The planning report emphasised that changes in planning policy over the years have rendered much of the supporting information outdated. Even if the applicant were to sign the Section 106 agreement today, all supporting data would need updating, essentially resulting in a new application that would be time-consuming. Officers have expressed doubts about the deliverability of the project as a result of the extended lack of communication from the applicant.
In conclusion, the uncertainty surrounding the completion of the Section 106 agreement, combined with outdated supporting information and policy requirements, has led officers to believe that the development is unlikely to proceed. With no recent contact from the applicant and the challenges of meeting current policy standards, it is increasingly uncertain that the plans for the 600 new homes in Tonyrefail will come to fruition.