Latest plans to transform what was once the biggest public sector housing scheme in Wales
Trivallis expects to submit an application for 150 homes in Penrhys this month which are part of wider regeneration plans for the area
(Image: WalesOnline/ Gayle Marsh )
An application for 150 houses as part of plans to regenerate what was once the largest public sector housing scheme in Wales could be submitted this month.
Housing association Trivallis intends to submit a planning application in June for what they call phase 1A of the Penrhys regeneration proposals in the Rhondda which involves an area in the northwest of the site with this phase involving the construction of up to 150 new homes with a mix of affordable housing, including new homes for existing residents, and homes for sale with demolition of existing buildings in this area already underway.
It is expected that an outline planning application for the development of the wider masterplan area will be submitted in early in 2026.
A report to cabinet on Wednesday, June 11 also recommends that authority be given to the director of corporate estates to negotiate the sale and transfer of the land within the existing estate area that is currently in council ownership to Trivallis.
It is also recommended that cabinet members agree that the council owned land to south is included in the wider masterplan now and also be transferred at an appropriate time.
The Penrhys Estate was first developed in 1966 as a modern housing development and on opening in 1968 with 951 new homes was at the time the largest public sector housing scheme in Wales.
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The report says that during the late 1970s and 1980s, for a range of reasons, the estate gained a poor reputation and has been in decline ever since but a strong, small community still exists in Penrhys.
In 2007 the site transferred ownership from the council to RCT Homes, now Trivallis.
As of today, there are around 230 tenanted homes left at the site, there are several streets where the housing condition is poor and current estimates show that a repair programme to acceptable standards is likely to be uneconomical. To get all the latest Rhondda news straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
The report said that the 'high level of voids impacts adversely on the overall environment at the estate.'
In 2021, cabinet agreed the principle of developing a regeneration plan for Penrhys and since then Trivallis has assembled a design team and has carried out site investigation work with a view to developing a site-wide masterplan that will feed into future planning applications.
In March this year, cabinet received an update on the council's Sustainable Communities for Learning (SCfL) nine year rolling programme and the latest strategic outline programme which included approval for a new school at Penrhys to replace the poor quality existing buildings on the Penrhys Primary School site.
The cabinet report said that the spend on the new school will act as 'a major facilitator in the wider regeneration aspirations for the site.'
Trivallis has already held a series of engagement sessions with residents to explain their ideas and gather the views of the community and it is expected that these sessions will continue as plans develop.
The report says that the council will also engage with the community as part of its normal process for developing the new school at the site.
The regeneration of Penrhys is a key site in the development of the council's new local development plan (LDP) and the site is set to be included in the council's preferred strategy for the revised LDP and will be taken forward to the next stage of the preparation of the plan.
The report said that Trivallis and their agents are currently in the process of procuring a development partner/housebuilder for the wider regeneration proposals and it is expected that the majority of the new homes will be advertised for sale on the open market with the remainder being offered as affordable housing and new homes for the existing community.
The council still owns several parcels of land throughout the estate and the wider masterplan area, including a significant area of land to the south of the main roundabout.
The report says: 'Taking a comprehensive and coherent approach to the development of the site should result in a successful and sustainable outcome and to this end it is considered that this will be best achieved with all the available land within the existing estate area sitting with Trivallis and their development partner.
'As such, it is recommended that this report gives authority to the director of corporate estates to negotiate the sale/transfer of the land within the existing estate area that is currently in council ownership to Trivallis, subject to our usual legal and financial procedures.
'It is also recommended that members agree to the council owned land to south being included in the wider masterplan now and also be transferred to Trivallis/developer at an appropriate time in the best interests of the council and the wider community.'
On the new school, the council has carried out a feasibility and options appraisal to build the new school on the existing school site, and further work to take this project forward will happen over the next few months.
It is currently expected that the planning process for the new school will start next year.
The report said: 'Works will be developed in collaboration with the school and local community to make sure that this project remains at the heart of the wider regeneration proposals, making it a true community school.
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