RCT Council has provided an update on the state-of-the-art Cwrt yr Orsaf Extra Care development in Pontypridd – with the building’s roof and façade now complete and the scheme progressing towards delivery later this year.
Cwrt yr Orsaf is being built on the former Pontypridd Magistrates’ Court site at Union Street in Graig, in a joint scheme between the Council and Linc Cymru (Linc). The development will comprise 60 new apartments (56 one-bed and 4 two-beds) and also include dining and lounge areas, communal kitchen, hair salon, 31-space car park, communal landscaped gardens and a day care unit – while the existing site access will also be widened.
Extra Care helps older people live as active and independent lives as possible, with 24/7 on-site support available for residents’ assessed needs. A £50m investment is being made to deliver 300 Extra Care beds in Rhondda Cynon Taf, which will include the current development of five brand new schemes.
Cwrt yr Orsaf will be the third Extra Care facility in Rhondda Cynon Taf after Ty Heulog in Talbot Green and brand new Maesyffynnon development in Aberaman, which opened last year. In December 2020, Cabinet Members agreed to progress plans for a fourth development at the Dan-y-Mynydd Residential Care Home site in Porth, while future schemes are also planned for Treorchy and Mountain Ash.
On site, the Cwrt yr Orsaf development continues to make progress towards completion in summer 2021, despite the significant challenges being faced by Linc’s contractor Jehu Project Services Ltd due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Externally, alongside the completion of all areas of the roof and the brickwork façade, progress is being made with the cladding to all elevations. Internally, skim plastering to the walls is ongoing, along with the fitting of kitchens and internal doors to the lower ground floor and upper ground flood apartments. Bathroom and kitchen tiling in these apartments also continues to progress.
Mechanical and electrical installations are nearing completion to the top floor, while all three stairwells are now installed. Aluminium windows and screens have been installed and glazed throughout.
The next works on site include the completion of the cladding, the dismantling of the tower crane and further progress with plaster boarding and mechanical and electrical installations. The facility’s lift installation will also be progressed.
Councillor Geraint Hopkins, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for Adult Community Services, said: “This update shows how progress continues to be made at Cwrt yr Orsaf, which will become Rhondda Cynon Taf’s third Extra Care facility later this year.
“We’ve seen at existing facilities in Talbot Green and Aberaman how Extra Care provides targeted, around-the-clock support for its residents in first class surroundings. Residents form communities in each building, while the setup and support offered also encourages integration within the local community.
“In December, following extensive consultation with members of the public, Cabinet agreed an amended option for the future of residential care services for older people in the County Borough – which will see nine Council-run care homes retained and further plans to comprehensively modernise each one.
“At the heart of the future provision is the development of five brand new Extra Care facilities, through an ongoing investment of £50m. This comprises of the Maesyffynnon and Cwrt yr Orsaf schemes, along with future plans in Porth, Mountain Ash and Treorchy. As part of Cabinet’s recent decision, it is now agreed that Porth’s facility will be at the Dan-y-Mynydd Care Home site, with detailed plans for this future development to be brought forward shortly.
“I’m looking forward to seeing further progress made at Cwrt yr Orsaf over the coming weeks and months, as the Council and Linc work closely towards its delivery this year – and I also look forward to attending the development in the future, once the COVID-19 restrictions allow visits to safely take place.”
Linc Cymru CEO, Scott Sanders, added: “The partnership between Linc and RCT council is a fantastic example of how homes for older people can be created across many different communities. Cwrt yr Orsaf will revitalise the former Pontypridd Magistrates’ Court site, extending the availability of tailored accommodation-based care provision. We are proud that in a time that has proven difficult for all industries, alongside our building contractor Jehu, we are still on track for completion this year.”
