Last week, Bridgend Council’s Planning Committee met to decide the planning application and hazardous substances consent for the Hybont project at Bryncethin and Brynmenyn.
As there’s a lot of interest in this – and it’s going to be one of the most controversial planning applications of the current council term – it’s covered in more detail than usual.
You can move between the different sections by clicking next or by using the drop-down menu.
TL;DR: It was granted permission on both counts; the final decision is up to the Welsh Government – skip to the final section for more.
The entire, almost four hour, meeting is available to watch here.
- The application was first submitted in early 2023. This was one year after Bridgend Council signed an agreement with Japanese conglomerate, Marubeni, to work on a “demonstrator project” for hydrogen energy.
- The application is split into two elements at two different sites. The first is for a hydrogen production facility and fuelling station at Brynmenyn Industrial Estate. The second site – a solar farm to the east of Bryncethin (“the clay pits”) – would supply some of the energy needed for the hydrogen plant. The two sites would be connected via a private wire connection along Wigan Terrace and Millers Avenue.
- The hydrogen station would be used to fuel hydrogen-powered buses, recycling vehicles and HGVs as part of a wider shift away from fossil fuels. This policy is backed by the Cardiff Capital Region and the Welsh Government.
- The original plans included a district heat scheme for local schools and Ynysawdre Swimming Pool. Bridgend Council withdrew from this part of the project in September 2023 over cost concerns.
- In March 2024, council officers began work on a land transfer. This will see the Hybont land transferred to the Cardiff Capital Region on a 125-year lease. This was “called-in” by a BCBC scrutiny committee over numerous concerns, but the committee narrowly voted not to send it back to BCBC’s Cabinet for a re-think.
- In October 2024, last-minute evidence from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) recommended that BCBC refuse hazardous substances consent over concerns about hydrogen storage on site. A revised hazardous substances consent application was submitted by Marubeni at the end of 2024. HSE has subsequently withdrawn its objection (pdf).
