NEARLY 30 new homes could be built on the site of a former Lidl supermarket with plans submitted to a council.
The chain relocated from the site opposite the Cwmbran Shopping Centre leaving the 0.45 hectare site vacant.
Monmouthshire Housing Association and construction firm Hale Group has applied to Torfaen Borough Council for permission to demolish the former supermarket and build 29 homes as well as carry out landscaping and access works.
Information submitted as part of the application states it will deliver affordable housing “over and above policy requirements” but the precise number of affordable homes will be agreed with the council before the application is determined.
It intends building 10 one-bedroom apartments, 12 two-bedroom apartments and three two-bedroom houses and four three-bedroom houses while there will also be bin storage and parking spaces provided.
A proposed layout shows two apartment blocks would be built on either side of the site access, from Woodside Street, with the houses at the back of the site towards Cwmbran Brook.
A statement submitted as part of the application describes the site as “previously developed land…in a highly sustainable location where the principle of redevelopment is supported.”
It also states there is a fish and chip shop opposite the site while there are retail and employment “opportunities” at the Asda supermarket and the Cwmbran retail park with the shopping centre within walking distance.
Cwmbran railway station is around half a mile away and there are also bus stops and the bus station nearby.
Torfaen Borough Council, in pre-application advise, has already told the developers the site isn’t part of a defined retail centre, where retail use would be protected, so there is no objection to the loss of a retail site.
A pre-application consultation was also carried out by the applicants from the end of February to mid-March this year in which they say they have addressed issues raised by Welsh Water, the fire service and Torfaen council which should allow for the application to be approved.
Only one member of the public had responded to the consultation and raised concerns Cwmbran has a “lack of infrastructure” which the applicants disputed.
The report also explains the council’s approved development plan aims to deliver 4,700 homes over a 15 year period but latest figures show the number of houses completed has fallen short by around 601 homes and states: “The development will contribute to the overall effort to address the housing shortfall and align with the council’s objectives for sustainable growth.”
A consultation on the plans is running until Wednesday, June 11.