Councillors to Visit Controversial Housing Development Before Approving Changes

COUNCILLORS will visit a controversial housing development before deciding on various changes to the originally approved plans. 
Most of the housing at the new build Abbey Wood estate has already been completed and occupied and the developers had asked for a number of changes to be approved with the intention work would be completed by the end of December this year and crews off site by January, 2027. 
The changes requiring approval from councillors include the orientation of some homes, new drainage and the widening of some roadways and changes to walls and extended pavements at the 164 home development in Llantarnam, Cwmbran. 
But members of Torfaen Borough Council’s planning committee were also told existing residents have raised concern that 40 homes on phase three of the development could be sold to housing association Hedyn. 
Planning officer Justin Jones said there were no technical objection to the proposed changes and the recommendation was the committee should approve them while the impact on property values, some residents had raised as an objection to the potential use of properties as social housing, isn’t a material planning consideration. 
Llantarnam councillor Alan Slade however said he considered the application to be substantially different to the previously approved plans and recommended the planning committee hold a site visit after no other councillor backed his call to refuse the application, meaning it couldn’t be put to a vote. 
The committee also heard from Abbey Wood resident Amanda Burke who said she felt the plans were significantly different from those presented to her when she bought her home in August 2024. 
She said: “I’m not opposed to affordable housing and recognise the need in Torfaen and the objection is not simply because a housing association will manage some of the properties my concern is about transparency and a lack of clarity.” 
She added: “I’ve worked hard to become a homeowner, I’ve worked since the age of 14, and owning my own home is very important to me and I purchased on the plans available at the time.” 
Cllr Slade said what was intended to be the final plans were agreed in 2021 and said: “That was to bring forward a really bespoke planning application that was passed, what we’ve got now isn’t that.” 
The Reform UK councillor said: “In 2024 I started getting complaints from residents and I referred them to the planning department and you knew then they’d not been built as per the agreement.” 
The councillor said he estimated around 95 per cent of the first two phases of the development have been completed and said: “These people have been miss sold their properties.” 
The committee was also told as part of the new application, made under section 73 provisions which starts the permission process over rather than being minor changes to the existing agreement, two electricity cabinets would also be approved. 
Those are in a public area and screened by vegetation but planner Mr Jones said their location wasn’t ideal. 
It is proposed the council will adopt the estate roads as part of its highway network if the changes are agreed and it will be responsible for clearing new gulleys, intended to prevent the flooding of some drives and gardens, while double yellow lines would also be laid. 
Mr Jones also explained part of the delays to the development, that was given outline approval in 2012 with detailed reserved matters approved in principle by councillors in 2018, was due to the original developers Enzo Homes entering bankruptcy during construction of phase one. Finance then had to be found to complete the development. 
The original planning permission has already provided 25 homes as affordable properties for those on the council’s housing waiting list.
The committee agreed unanimously to hold the site visit though no date has yet been agreed.  ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

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By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​