FINAL approval has been granted to create 15 affordable homes on the site of a former care home in Cwmbran.
Housing Association Bron Afon began work on a planning application to build the homes at the site of the former Ty Gwyn residential home, in Fairwater in October 2023.
But the proposal was held up as Coed Waun-fyr which forms the eastern and southern boundary of the site is an ancient woodland and also designated as an important urban open space and a site of importance for nature conservation.
Revised plans were put in to Torfaen Borough Council in August last year and formal approval has now been granted and there will be a 10 metre “buffer zone” between new homes and the ancient woodland.
A list of conditions, including that an environmental management plan is in place and agreed with the council before construction work starts and there are also conditions to protect wildlife including bats and hedgehogs.
Demolition of the former care home can only take place between September and February to avoid the bird breeding season. If this can’t be avoided, a fully qualified ecologist must first survey the building for nesting birds before work starts. Any young identified during the checks must have fledged before work can take place.
The new estate will feature an L-shaped road with eight one-bedroom apartments, three three-bedroom and two, two-bedroom homes as well as two, two-bedroom bungalows built around it and the homes will have solar panels.
Torfaen’s planning department said the loss of the existing building wouldn’t have a negative impact on the area, noting: “The condition of the building has declined since the closure of the residential home and the proposed development would improve the appearance of the site, bringing it back into use.”
Ty Gwyn closed in August 2020 as the building was said to have reached the end of its life. A year earlier users of a care website had ranked Ty Gwyn as one of the 20 best care homes in Wales.