Linc housing association has submitted a full planning application for an apartment complex at Sunnyside House in Bridgend town centre.
The plans are unchanged from those published as part of a pre-application consultation in November 2022.
The proposed development will consist of two blocks: a smaller 6-apartment block to the north of the site and a larger, “landmark” 59-apartment block which will be up to six storeys in height.
All apartments are either one-bedroom or two-bedroom, aligning with recent comments at a Bridgend Council meeting about a desire to meet the demand for social housing for single-person households and people with specific needs.
Parking dominates consultation concerns
The main concerns raised during the pre-application consultation relate to car parking; the development will only have 16 parking spaces for the 140+ expected residents.
Other main areas of concern raised in the consultation include the loss of trees and the impact the development will have on air pollution problems at Park Street.
In response to these concerns, Linc housing said that reducing the number of parking spaces to encourage the use of public transport and/or walking/cycling is a staple of national policies.
It’s anticipated that car ownership amongst residents will be low, while the site is counted as a “brownfield site” that will help meet local demand for social and affordable housing – hence why it’s a six-storey development.
Additionally, an assessment suggests the development would have no impact on air quality issues, while a landscaping strategy would address the loss of any trees within the site.
Wellness Village activity “to resume soon”
In their most recent update – dated December 2022 – Linc said that they are undertaking a two-stage procurement process to find a new contractor to complete the adjacent Wellness Village.
They aim “to resume site activity in the new year once this procurement process is complete.”
