Rhondda Cynon Taf council’s Planning and Development Committee has approved a planning application for the new HQ of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in Treforest – which will bring more than 1,500 jobs to the area.
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At the Committee meeting on Thursday, August 16, Members considered two separate applications relating to the scheme. The first was for a 14,844sq/m Class B1 office building development which includes 252 car parking spaces and 170 cycle parking spaces. The second was for a change of use of land to a car park, to provide an extra 192 car parking spaces to serve the scheme.
The planning applications relate to two separate sites, adjacent to each other, located off Main Avenue, south of the Treforest Industrial Estate. Both were recommended for approval in an Officer report to the Committee meeting.
The application takes forward the Council’s commitment to business growth and development in strategic areas across Rhondda Cynon Taf. In September 2017, Cabinet agreed to develop five Strategic Opportunity Areas – including the wider Pontypridd and Treforest region, to maximise its prime location on the edge of Cardiff and in the heart of the South East Wales region.
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The larger application concerns the main building of the DWP development – extending over five floors. Floors one to five will consist of offices and the ground floor space will be a large car park. Vehicles will access the site from The Willowford, while the main foyer will front Main Avenue – set back from the main road by an internal service road.
This application was approved by the Committee subject to a Section 106 Agreement, which will see a £750,000 investment in local Highways by the developer. This will see a new signalised junction and crossing works to The Willowford and Main Avenue, and funding for the Council to promote, develop and deliver local sustainable transport infrastructure and services.
The smaller application concerns the change of use from a lorry/trailer park to a car park. Vehicles will access the 0.58-hectare site from The Willowford on the site’s western boundary, which is opposite the existing Volvo site.
Councillor Robert Bevan, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Housing, said: “I am very pleased that the Planning and Development Committee has approved these two planning applications, which has brought the significant DWP development in Treforest – which the Council fully-supports – a step closer to becoming a reality.
“The DWP relocation will bring more than 1,500 jobs to the area, representing one of the largest recent developments in Rhondda Cynon Taf – while also showing huge commitment to Treforest as a strategic opportunity area. Securing this development will create quality jobs for many years in the future, and it follows the 1,000 jobs for Pontypridd in the Council’s flagship Taff Vale Regeneration, which is where Transport for Wales will be based.
“These really are exciting times for the region which, alongside the DWP and Taff Vale developments, will benefit from the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal and the inclusive South Wales Metro investment. Pontypridd Railway Station, for example, will be served by 12 trains per hour, widely improving access to public transport for residents on the Valley lines to Cardiff.
“The DWP development will also provide a huge boost to local businesses, including the nearby Parc Nantgarw. It includes the provision of 444 car park spaces over the two sites, as well as considerable cycle parking as the Council continues to promote Active Travel. A Section 106 agreement will also see the developer contribute to important improvements to the local road network around Main Avenue, in order to complement this development.
“With full planning permission now secured, I’m looking forward to seeing further progress made on this exciting development in the near future.”
