Plans are taking shape to build 25 affordable homes on vacant land in Croeserw, in a scheme that would also bring assisted-living flats to the village.
Social landlord Tai Tarian is behind the proposals for two parcels of unused land off Menai Avenue and Pen-y-Bryn.
The housing association, which manages more than 9,000 homes across Neath Port Talbot, is consulting the public before submitting a formal planning application.
The plans would deliver a mix of homes aimed at a range of needs.
These include 10 one-bedroom walk-up apartments, four two-bedroom bungalows and two two-bedroom houses.
The scheme would also provide nine one-bedroom assisted-living apartments, housed in a larger block designed as a feature building for the area.
According to the developer, the assisted-living block would be set against the natural slope of the hillside, so its size would not dominate the surrounding streets.
Both sites have stood empty for years.
The larger plot fronting Pen-y-Bryn once contained homes that were demolished around 2012, and the scheme would restore the street scene there.
The smaller plot off Menai Avenue is open land between two existing housing areas, crossed by a public bridleway that would need to be diverted for the work to go ahead.
A medium-pressure gas main running through the site would also need diverting.
The designs draw on local materials, with a palette of white render, grey brick and slate-effect roofs intended to fit the character of the surrounding 1970s housing.
The homes would be fitted with low-carbon heating through air-source heat pumps, and a sustainable drainage scheme is planned to manage surface water and boost biodiversity.
All the one-bedroom apartments would come with a parking space, the developer says.
The architects behind the scheme, Spring Design Consultancy, say the development would create “a unique and attractive but also sustainable and functional place to live.”
The land sits within the settlement boundary in the Neath Port Talbot Local Development Plan, and the proposals would be assessed against the council’s affordable housing and design policies.
Croeserw, in the Afan Valley, has seen significant regeneration interest in recent years as efforts continue to bring new investment and housing to the former mining communities.
The plans are being brought forward by planning consultants Asbri Planning on behalf of Tai Tarian.
The proposals are at the pre-application consultation stage, the first formal step in the planning process.
For major developments in Wales, the law requires a developer to consult the public before submitting an application, giving people an early chance to see the plans and comment on them.
The consultation must run for at least 28 days. At this stage, comments go to the developer’s planning agent rather than to the council.
Anyone wishing to comment must do so by 10 July 2026, by emailing mail@asbriplanning.co.uk or writing to Asbri Planning at Suite D, 220 High Street, Swansea, SA1 1NW.
A formal planning application would follow, and residents would be able to have their say again before Neath Port Talbot Council makes a decision.
If approved, the development would be built on land that has sat unused for more than a decade.
