With the departure of our group leader, Cllr. Keith Davies, from the planning and development committee and thus from the site-visits sub-committee, I have been drafted on to the latter. I have an early introduction to its duties coming up on Thursday, as the full committee at its last meeting decided that we should have a closer look at Coastal Housing Group’s application to redevelop the former Royal Buildings. This is the Victorian block across Talbot Road from the British Legion club, and close to the Plaza cinema site. The objections from Aberavon & Port Talbot members concern the loss of the Victorian façade which, while not deemed by Cadw so rare within Wales that it needs legal protection, is valued locally; and the provision of parking which falls short of both national and local planning guidelines.

I had also expressed my doubts about the viability of the ground-floor commercial and retail units included in the scheme, in view of the decline in the older part of Station Road and new provision at the other end in a building now under construction, but was advised by Geoff White, chief planning officer, that this was not a planning consideration.

In 2007, the county borough invited proposals for the redevelopment of the area including the Plaza cinema and Port Talbot Parkway railway station. The web pages relating to that invitation have been removed, but are referred to on the local Liberal Democrat web-site. It seems that no comprehensive scheme was submitted, but two years later a masterplan for Port Talbot was issued. Page 17 of this document envisages enhancing the Parkway function of Port Talbot Station,  encouraging land uses that would reinvigorate and regenerate the area, and exploiting the Plaza Cinema as an attractive ‘key’ gateway building.

Details of Coastal’s application are filed as P2009/1021 and are viewable on the Council’s web-site.

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