Planning consent is now granted for a small kiosk, selling food and drink to take away, to be built within the redeveloped former bingo hall site in Pontypridd – enabling the Council to begin the process of securing a tenant to operate the new amenity.
Full permission for the unit was granted by the Planning and Development Committee on Thursday, September 26. The wider site of the old bingo hall and Angharad’s Nightclub has recently been redeveloped into a vibrant and quality public space – while its boundary with Sardis Road was also converted into the new Railway Station South bus stop, supporting two new bus bays.
The new kiosk will be positioned on the upper elevation of the newly-redeveloped area, in the north-eastern corner of the site (at a location near to bus stop E5). Its general location is shown in the above image.
The kiosk will operate as a Class A1/A3 retail premises and will be 6.8m in length and 2.75m in height. The timber structure will have a flat roof, and will accommodate a retail/kitchen area, a store, and a staff toilet. It will provide visitor information and will be complemented with moveable outdoor seating.
Officers had recommended the application for approval in a report to Thursday’s planning meeting – noting that the kiosk would be an appropriate development for its proposed location, and would be a beneficial facility for town centre visitors. The report added that officers had no concerns about the development’s appearance – and that this type of modular kiosk is now commonplace in many towns and is an accepted feature in such locations.
With planning permission now granted, the Council will begin the process of securing a prospective tenant to permanently operate from the kiosk. A formal tender process will be undertaken. The kiosk itself will be built off-site and then transported to the Pontypridd town centre location. Based on current timescales, it will be opened to the public from early in the New Year.
Councillor Mark Norris, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Development and Prosperity, said: “I’m very pleased that the kiosk has now received planning consent, enabling the Council to take the next steps towards securing a tenant to operate it. The new public realm has provided a gateway at the southern end of Pontypridd town centre, while the new bus bays are serving this area for the first time – being ideally placed near the railway station to integrate journeys across rail and bus.
“Our investment to regenerate Pontypridd has made excellent progress – with the revitalisation of the bingo hall site and the opening of Y Muni taking place recently. It follows delivery of Llys Cadwyn, YMa and Cwrt yr Orsaf, and the continued Heritage Lottery investment for Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. In July, Cabinet also approved the next stages of the exciting scheme to bring the prominent former M&S site back into use, with a ‘riverside plaza’ vision.
“A small kiosk, selling food and drink to take away, was always included within the public realm plans for the bingo hall site, and securing planning consent is an important milestone that shows we remain absolutely committed to this. Officers will now begin a formal tender process to secure a suitable operator for the unit, and we should see the venue opening in the New Year.”
