Appendix 9 - EMPLOYMENT SITE DESCRIPTIONS

Two parcels are available for development on the industrial estate.  Access can be gained from the A469 (Rhymney by-pass) and the estate has excellent links to the A465 Heads of the Valleys road, located less than a mile to the north.  Both plots are level and are considered to be available in the short-term.

Ty Du is a large site on the southern edge of Nelson, within the Northern Connections Corridor.  Despite its status as a local centre, the village currently has very limited employment opportunities, with most residents commuting to Cardiff or neighbouring towns.  The allocation of this site for class B1 use on the main A472 cross-valley link road will not only provide local employment opportunities, but will also be of benefit to the County Borough as a whole.

Outline permission for development (use classes B1, B2 and B8) was granted in 1997 and renewed in 1999.  Although this has since lapsed, the site is presently the subject of an application for class B1 development, as of the base date of April 2007.

The four plateaux at Oakdale combine to make the largest area of potential employment development in the County Borough.  Their development will complement the nearby Penyfan Industrial Estate and together establish a major mid-valleys employment location.  The completion of the Sirhowy Enterprise Way provides a stronger link to the Mid-Valleys conurbation, thereby enhancing the area’s potential contribution to a sustainable network of communities across the Northern Connections Corridor area.

In order to optimise Oakdale’s status as a location for sustainable economic development, there is a need for better public transport links with the established residential settlements whose population it is intended to serve.  This need has been highlighted by the results of the SA/SEA assessment carried out in relation to each of the employment sites.

The completion of the Sirhowy Enterprise Way would allow for an appropriate extension of the bus network between the Business Park and the Mid-Valleys conurbation itself, and it is considered that proposals for development within this location should help facilitate this, insofar as the planning system is able to bring it about.

The northern section of Plateau 2 has been developed during the UDP period.  As a result, this section has been protected as a primary site, whilst the remaining southern element continues to be allocated within the same category.

Although this constituted a single allocation within the UDP, this site has been split into northern and southern sections for inclusion within the LDP, as the two are geographically separate with anEM2 allocation located in between.

The two sites are deemed suitable for Class B1, B2 and B8 use.  It is considered that the development of these sites for such uses, as well as the protection of the intervening tract of land between these two sites, is prominently located in terms of the Mid-Valleys conurbation (fairly centrally between Ystrad Mynach and Blackwood).

These sites were previously identified as a single allocation under the UDP, but have been split into northern and southern sections for inclusion within the LDP.  The northern section has been extended to include the land immediately to the north.  The third (central) section of the UDP allocation has since been absorbed into the EM2 protection that lies between the two sites.

The estate presently accommodates a mixture of uses from small and medium-sized ‘start-ups’ and expanding companies, to large units for individual companies.  The industrial estate is seen as a key employment site within the context of the County Borough.

The whole of Dyffryn Business Park is the subject of an extant permission for B1, B2 and B8 use dating back to 1969.

As the site is within flood zone C2, any future planning applications will need to be accompanied by a Flood Consequence Assessment, as requested by the Environment Agency.

This site is being put forward within the LDP as a mixed-use site, intended for housing and employment use.  It constitutes an extension to the employment protection to the north (EM2.19).  The site was granted planning permission for housing, employment and associated leisure uses in 2002 and it is considered that the allocation of this area for a mixed-use development would be in keeping with the proposals of the Penallta Masterplan.

Caerphilly Business Park has attracted significant investment in recent years, with speculative office-building taking place.  In addition, substantial landscaping works have been undertaken.

The site is in close proximity to Caerphilly Railway Station and access can be achieved from Van Road.  It is considered that the site is suitable for development in use classes B1, B2 and B8.

Planning permission was granted for class B1 development in 2006.

This is a medium-sized site on Trecenydd industrial estate in the centre of Caerphilly.  The estate constitutes infill development on the former rail sidings.  The majority of the estate has been developed; the principal occupants include storage and distribution businesses.

Due to its visibility from the railway line and roads, environmental improvements are necessary.  The site has a valid planning permission for employment development in use classes B1, B2 and B8.

This site is in close proximity to the Penrhos roundabout on the A468, and access is provided from the B4263.  The site is considered suitable for development in use classes B1, B2 and B8.  Planning permission was granted for new office and workshop development in 2007.