More than 400 new homes are planned for an old quarry site in Rhondda Cynon Taf. The housing will be part of a new low-carbon neighbourhood at the disused Hendy Quarry near Pontyclun.
Plans for the new development have been announced by Newport housing association Pobl Group. It said the "mixed tenure development" at the 54 acre Tarmac site on the south side of Miskin will include a "significant proportion" of affordable homes.
The overall timescale for the project has not been confirmed, but Pobl Group is expecting to submit a planning application next year. Those living in the area will also be asked to give their input and views on the plans before any detailed designs are taken forward, the housing association added.
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The firm's chief executive Amanda Davies said: "Pobl has ambitious aims to re-imagine the way we live and work in Wales and has strong aspirations to deliver a low-carbon development where local people will thrive and which they are proud to call home. Placemaking is at the heart of that ethos and at Hendy Quarry we want to create a vision that reaches well beyond the site's physical boundaries to develop something that will positively integrate with Pontyclun and Miskin to everyone's benefit.
"We look forward to bringing much needed housing to the local area and to building on the success of recent sites that we are delivering such as the 144 low-carbon new homes at Gwynfaen, in Penyrheol, Swansea. Our aim is to set a new benchmark not just for quality but also for how development adds to the wider community."
The housing association is aiming to make Hendy Quarry the first development in Wales built around a "dedicated and well-connected community hub". The site will offer a collaborative workspace with high-speed internet links to encourage an increase in remote working as well as space for other facilities, influenced by changing work patterns.
It said it was also influenced by the Welsh Government's Placemaking Agenda and the provisions of the Well-being of Future Generations Act.
Ms Davies added: "Hendy Quarry is being planned with a view to improving connectivity and to reflect the changing ways in which people are now working. The site represents an outstanding location in terms of its traditional transport links - about half a mile from Junction 33 of the M4 - but we are planning to prioritise minimising car journeys across Miskin and Pontyclun as part of the development by creating facilities on the community's doorstep that reduce the need to travel and encourage sustainable modes of transportation."
Lloyd McInally, development manager at Tarmac, said: "We are very proud of our relationship with the area and are keen to make sure Hendy Quarry continues to play an important part in the future of Miskin and Pontyclun. We are also very excited by Pobl's plans and by the quality of community-led development they have achieved at other sites."
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