Work activity is now underway to demolish the former Dan y Mynydd Care Home buildings in Porth, which would enable a potential future redevelopment of the site by Linc Cymru (Linc) and the Council into an Extra Care facility.
The former care home buildings, located off Bronwydd Avenue, have had no residents for some time – and, in December 2020, Cabinet agreed that a new Extra Care housing scheme would be built on the site. This is in line with the Council’s strategy to modernise residential care options for older people.
Extra Care delivers modern accommodation with 24-hour support for older people’s assessed needs, allowing them to live as independently as possible. In partnership with Linc, the Council will deliver 300 Extra Care places across five new developments – including Maesyffynnon (Aberaman) which opened last summer and Cwrt yr Orsaf (Graig) which is currently being constructed.
In August 2021, Linc gave the community an opportunity to have their say on initial plans for its proposed Extra Care facility on the Dan y Mynydd site, which would be the third of the five new developments and provide 60 beds. The feedback will inform Linc’s submission of a planning application, for the Planning and Development Committee’s consideration in the future.
Meanwhile, in May 2021, Linc received planning permission to demolish the current care home buildings to ground level, and site notices were published in recent weeks. Work activity got underway from Monday, September 6, with the demolition expected to start later this week. Initial activities to enable the demolition include a bat survey, isolation of services and site setup.
Linc has appointed Bond Demolition Ltd as the contractor to carry out the work, which is expected to last around 10 weeks. The contractor will be writing to neighbouring residents to outline the nature of the work. The main local disruption that is anticipated will be the required lorry movements to and from the site to carry materials. These will be completed while avoiding peak times.
Councillor Geraint Hopkins, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for Adult Services, said: “I’d firstly like to thank the community for taking part in the Pre Application consultation exercise in August, to provide important feedback to Linc before it submits a planning application for the proposed Extra Care facility. A further opportunity to have your say will follow in due course, once the plans are formally submitted.
“Extra Care is at the heart of the Council’s commitment to modernise local residential care services and increase options for older people. As we’ve seen with Maesyffynnon in the Cynon Valley, these facilities are state-of-the-art, offer around the clock support for assessed needs, and also offer a range of wider facilities with opportunities for meaningful community engagement.
“Linc’s appointed contractor has now started work towards the demolition of the former Dan y Mynydd Care Home buildings, having secured planning permission in May. The Council, Linc and the contractor will work closely to ensure the work is completed as quickly as possible, with minimal disruption locally.
“The upcoming demolition work will enable a potential future redevelopment of the site to bring it back into use. Residents will be kept up to date as Linc, in partnership with the Council, seeks full permission for its Extra Care plans.”
Richard Hallett, Development Manager at Linc, added: “As work begins on demolishing the now unused Dan y Mynydd Care Home, we are pleased to be starting work on a new extra care scheme in Porth. The first stage of the demolition will take place inside the building as the internal joinery is removed. We estimate that the full demolition process will take 10 weeks and will work closely with our contractor to minimise disruption to local residents.
“This proposed 60-apartment scheme, in partnership with Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, would be a great addition to Porth. By utilising this site, we would be able to provide high quality homes that enable people to live independent lives, with access to any care and support they may need.”
