The planning application for a new 3G sports pitch in Cwmbran could be submitted by the end of this month for councillors to make a decision.
The £1,099,633 funding for the project on the former playing fields at Llantarnam Comprehensive School is from several S106 agreements signed by developers who have built homes in Llantarnam. The cash was given to Torfaen Council to carry out work to mitigate the loss of other facilities from new developments.
Planning permission was given in 2015 for the school to be demolished and 226 homes to be built on the site- now known as James Prosser Way. This application included an S106 Agreement that Barratt Homes had to pay £859,094 to replace the loss of playing pitches and the leisure centre with an all-weather facility.
Proposals have taken some time to get to this stage with Cwmbran Life first publishing a story in August 2022 about delays to the cash for the project being spent. Stories have led to lots of readers’ comments from those in favour saying there is a lack of all-weather pitches in Torfaen and how a 3G pitch will encourage more people to play sport. Views against the proposal included residents worried about a large section of the free-to-use grass field being lost to only those who can pay and an increase in traffic along James Prosser Way.
Amity Planning, the consultants working for the council, ran a pre-application consultation process last Summer that closed on Friday 7 July 2023. That was an opportunity for members of the public to comment on the proposals before they were developed and submitted as part of the planning process.
Today a council spokesperson told Cwmbran Life that they’re “aiming to go to planning by the end of February.”
If the plan is approved by councillors the estimated date for the pitch to be built is February 2025.
Construction work is currently taking place on the site to extend a footpath around the edge of the field and up towards James Prosser Way. It’s part of the council’s active travel route improvements to make it easier for people to walk and cycle across the area.