Decision due on homes plan for former Hoover site

PLANS for a “new neighbourhood” on the former Hoover site in Merthyr Tydfil are set to be decided.

- ANTHONY LEWIS

The idea for the site in Pentrebach is to create a new community, with up to 441 new homes, 1.5 hectares of employment land and a community hub with shops

Also featuring in the plan are financial and professional services and food and drink, a community heat hub, a metro station and transport hub including a transport interchange and parking and a network of open spaces including parkland, active travel routes, areas for informal recreation and sustainable drainage.

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

The report says that the Hoover factory is seen as a local landmark which operated from 1948 until 2009, after which the site has been used for warehousing and distribution.

Although the former factory is of local interest, the building is not protected 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 Merthyr Tydfil town centre and is made up of three parcels of land, which overall cover an area of around 15.93 hectares.

The bulk of the development area is made up of the Hoover factory site. There is also a former car park and land used for a pumping station.

There were five representations received from the public which raise points in support of the development in principle but also highlight concerns.

They said there is a general support for the redevelopment of the brownfield land and the provision of much-needed housing which would be for the benefit of the community.