(Title Image: Maesteg Boyo via Youtube)
As revealed back in March, the derelict Ewenny Road site in Maesteg – the former Cooper Standard/Budelpack/Revlon factories – is being put forward for Cardiff City Region regeneration funding.
Bridgend Council’s Cabinet is due to discuss a report outlining more details next week (pdf).
The most advanced previous proposal for the site would have included business units, large retail stores, a pub/restaurant and an element of housing. Anyone expecting something that grand this time around will be disappointed.
The city region fund is aimed at bringing unviable sites into use for housing. Housing would make up the bulk of the regeneration project – up to 186 units (with at least 15% of them being affordable). There would also be a park and ride for Maesteg Ewenny Road railway station (which is currently the least-used station on the Maesteg line) and an enterprise hub located as close to the park and ride as possible.
In efforts to protect Maesteg town centre, the retail element of the previous masterplan has been dropped.
The site is jointly owned by Bridgend Council and Derby-based property developers PCMCL in a roughly 40:60 split in favour of PCMCL. A memorandum of understanding has been agreed whereby BCBC would sell part of its land and buy back PCMCL-owned land in the area where the park and ride and enterprise hub would be built (basically a swap of sorts).
The precise terms need to be finalised and approved, subject to city region funding (up to £3.5million). Also, a new planning application will need to be submitted before the site can be marketed to housing developers and housing associations.
