Hundreds of homes set for old factory site

“GAME-CHANGING” new neighbourhood including more than 400 homes is coming to the former Hoover site in Merthyr Tydfil.

- ANTHONY LEWIS Local Democracy Reporter [e-mail]

The plan for the site in Pentrebach to create a new neighbourhood featuring up to 441 new homes, employment land and a community hub including shops was approved by the council's planning committee on Wednesday.

There will also be financial and professional services, food and drink businesses, a community heat hub, a metro station and transport hub including a transport interchange and parking, as well as a network of open spaces including parkland, active travel routes, and areas for informal recreation and sustainable drainage.

The plans involve demolition, ground reclamation and remediation and associated works including improvements to the highways network.

The report said the Hoover factory was seen as a local landmark which operated from 1948 until 2009, since which the site has been used for warehousing and distribution.

Although the former factory is of local interest, the building does not have statutory protection as a listed building, it adds. The site is deemed to be brownfield in nature which requires remediation and forms part of the Hoover strategic regeneration area allocated in the local development plan (LDP).

The site is 1.3km from the town centre and is made up of three parcels of land, which overall cover an area of approximately 15.93 hectares and would encompass the Hoover factory site, as well as a former car park and a small area of land which was formerly used as a pumping station.