Plans to expand a primary school were among those put back

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There are usually plenty of planning applications or consultations announced during the course of the year.

Some of them are small and easy to make a decision on but others are large potentially area-changing developments.

Some of these major developments do end up getting planning permission but there are also times when they don’t or where they delayed for one reason or another.

Here are some examples of the major plans in Rhondda Cynon Taf that were either rejected outright in 2021 or had to be put back to a later date.

Craig yr Hesg quarry in Pontypridd

Plans to extend the length of operations until 2028 at a quarry in Pontypridd were rejected by councillors in August with reasons for refusal confirmed in October.

Hanson UK’s application to extend its quarrying at Craig yr Hesg Quarry in Glyncoch by changing the deadline from 2022 to 2028 was rejected by the council’s planning committee.

At the August meeting councillors were of the view that the proposal is a detriment to the amenity and wellbeing of the area.

There were 14 public objections to the plan submitted to the council over policy issues, blasting, noise, vibration and dust pollution.

They also raised safety concerns about the impact of the proposal on local roads, the local primary school, and the effect on wildlife.

The application said that there were 3.3m tonnes of rock remaining within the existing quarry on December 31, 2020, and historically the output from the quarry has averaged 400,000 tonnes a year.

The report said that the existing reserves would provide for a quarry life of eight years which would take it up to December 31, 2028.

Because the committee voted against officers’ recommendations it went it had to go back to committee again for the reasons for refusal to be officially decided.

Plans for a western expansion of the quarry were rejected by planning committee in early 2020 after more than 400 objections were received raising concerns over noise, vibration and blasting from the site, the impact on air quality, the distance between the quarrying and residential areas, the impact on local roads and the effect on ecology and the countryside.

Chimney stack plans in the Cynon Valley

In March, Enviropark’s planned increased in the height of a chimney stack on Hirwaun Industrial Estate met strong opposition from locals and was rejected by planning committee.

The plan was to increase the height of the chimney from 45m to 90m at the waste energy company’s site on Hirwaun Industrial Estate but councillors refused against officer recommendations because of the visual impact it would have on the surrounding area.

But there was opposition to the plans locally with 241 letters of objection or concern were received by the council as well as four petitions including 4,441 signatures as well as from the local MP Beth Winter and MS Vikki Howells.

Ms Howells said it would would have a visual impact and that the Statue of Liberty in New York is the closest visual representation of the stack as it stands at 93m. She said: “It would have a devastating impact on the economic potential of the area.”

Ms Winter said: “It will dominate the local area and will be a blight on the landscape.” She said it could “detract from all the positive work being undertaken and act as a barrier to investment”.

Enviroparks had argued that moving the chimney to a better location and increase in height would allow for better dispersal of emissions and reduce the amount of pollutants falling on the special area of conservation

They added that it would make a direct contribution to the local economy through jobs and investment. But in the end councillors voted to reject the proposal.

Deadline for RCT primary school’s expansion is put back

The developers behind the massive Llanilid housing development were given more time to deliver a new extension for Dolau Primary School in Llanharan.

The council’s cabinet agreed in July to give Persimmon more time to create the extra school places, pushing the deadline back to 2024.

The new building that will be provided by the housing developers is due to be an extension to the dual-language provision at the existing Dolau Primary School.

In April 2019 cabinet approved the proposals following consultation with an implementation date of September 2021.

The housing developer Persimmon Homes are responsible for constructing the new building as a part of their planning obligations for the new housing development at Llanilid.

The cabinet report said Persimmon Homes have had to overcome a number of significant planning constraints, and since 2019 have been collaboratively working and engaging with statutory planning consultees, including Natural Resources Wales and the health and safety executive, to satisfy all obligations.

The report said that Persimmon are optimistic that this proposal will be delivered before this end date.

The extension will accommodate up to 480 pupils, plus 60 part-time nursery places, for children aged between three and 11 years and therefore will increase the total available capacity of the dual-language school to 921 plus 124 part-time nursery places.

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