Old Farm in Vale of Glamorgan Earmarked for Retirement Home Project

An old farm in the Vale of Glamorgan has been earmarked for a retirement home project.
The 50 independent living apartments, proposed for land in Cowbridge, is one of two housing projects among the stand out planning applications made to Vale of Glamorgan Council recently.
Plans have also been made to turn a former Barry veterinary practice into flats.
It is hoped the plans can go some way – if only a little – towards ailing the Vale’s growing housing crisis, with council figures showing that there are more than 600 people on the council housing waiting list in Buttrills, Barry.
Other plans that have also been put to the council include a proposal to turn an old Barry nightclub into shops and an application to set up a shooting range at an old quarry.
Here is a closer look at some of the stand out planning applications that have been made to the council over the past couple of weeks.
Retirement home scheme
An old farm in Cowbridge could be the site of a new retirement home project consisting of 50 apartments.
Darren Farm, off Darren Hill, lies just to the east of a site which has already been earmarked for 475 homes as part of a separate planning application that was approved in 2016.
McCarthy Stone is the company behind the application for the retirement living apartments.
The independent, purpose built apartments will be aimed at people aged 60 and over. If approved, the site will also include communal areas like a residents’ lounge.
Darren Farm ceased to operate as a farm years ago and was vacated in January 2020.
Shooting range
An application has been made to add a shooting range to a former quarry.
Allan Kelly of Big Rock Sporting, who has been shooting at the former Llanharry Quarry for more than 40 years, is applying for partial change of use for a portion of the site.
The proposal is for the range to operate on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm and Sundays from 10am to 4pm.
A supporting document attached to Mr Kelly’s application states that the National Rifle Association deems the old quarry suitable as a range due to the large wall provided by the quarry face.
Since it ceased to operate as a quarry, part of it has been used as a building site training area, where people learn how to drive and operate machinery on a building site.
Former Barry nightclub
A former Barry nightclub could be transformed into shops and other businesses.
Plans have been lodged to turn the old Gordon Bennetts nightclub on Broad Street into three separate units.
The change of use application doesn’t detail exactly what kinds of shops and businesses will go into the premises, if it is approved.
However, it states that the plan is for it to have A1, A2, A3 and D1 planning uses.
These relate to shops, like hairdressers, dry cleaners and travel agents; professional services; food and drink businesses like restaurants and bars and services like clinics and libraries.
Former veterinary practice
An application has been made to Vale of Glamorgan Council to convert a veterinary practice in Barry into flats.
If the application is approved, the site of Barry Animal Health Centre on Tynewydd Road will be turned into four two-bedroom flats.
The application also includes a proposal to demolish a single storey, flat roofed extension to the rear of the vets.
Some council statistics attached to the planning application show that the waiting list for two-bed council homes in Buttrills stands at 124.
There are 403 individuals on the waiting list for one-bed council homes in the same area. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​