Derelict former Maesteg Industrial Park gets £3.5m city deal funds to pave way for transformation

Bridgend County Borough Council has confirmed that funding has been approved to transform a derelict former industrial site in Maesteg and make it suitable for mixed-use development featuring new homes, retail opportunities, business enterprise units and a railway park and ride facility.

Vacant for more than a decade, the former Budelpack COSi and Cooper Standard site on Ewenny Road Industrial Estate has been awarded the grant by Cardiff Capital Region (CCR).

The grant will tackle several major infrastructure and remediation works, such as diverting a historic mining drain and the backfilling of several mineshafts, which are necessary to make the site ready for the proposed development.

While the development has been in the planning stages for a number of years, the site masterplan has been revised to ensure it can meet local housing, employment, and transportation needs.

With the number of houses planned for the site now increased to 205, 15 per cent will be affordable housing instead of off-site contributions featured in previous versions of the masterplan.

A new transport interchange featuring both bus links and a park-and-ride facility will be located at the far western end of the site to remain close to Ewenny Road railway station, while a proposed new enterprise hub will also be relocated to take advantage of the new transport links.

The masterplan has also been updated to feature smaller scale local retail provision to avoid a potential impact on Maesteg town centre.

With the funding in place, the revised plan will be subject to consultation as part of the planning process before going before the Development Control committee for a final decision.

Councillor Neelo Farr, Bridgend Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration said: “This is exciting news for Maesteg and the county borough as a whole. The council has been working alongside site owners Pontardawe Coal and Metals Company Limited for several years now to bring the former industrial land at Ewenny Road back into use, and we have had to overcome a number of significant challenges.

“Its planned redevelopment has been many years in the making, and I am delighted that the £3.5m funding from Cardiff Capital Region has been instrumental in unlocking its potential.

“The revised plans are extremely wide-ranging and have the potential to bring major benefits to the Llynfi Valley.”

(Lead image: Google Maps)