CONTROVERSIAL plans have been lodged for 15 homes at the site of former sheltered housing accommodation in Ebbw Vale.

Glan Yr Afon Court, off Allotment Road, Beaufort, could be developed into 15 homes, to “meet identified local housing needs”.

The former sheltered housing building has already been demolished, and Tai Calon Community Housing has now submitted plans to Blaenau Gwent council to bring the land back into use.

Some of the homes would be designed for wheelchair users. The plans include three two-bedroomed bungalows for wheelchair users, and four one-bedroomed flats. The ground floor flats would be designed for wheelchair users.

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The site will also include four two-bedroomed houses and four three-bedroomed houses.

All the houses would be semi-detached or detached.

Up to two parking spaces per home would be provided and the scheme will have a total of 22 car parking spaces, one space for each of the two-bedroomed homes and two spaces for the three-bedroomed homes.

A new access will be created off Allotment Road for the development, which would serve all 15 homes. 

The housing association engaged in a pre-application consultation with local residents to sound out views on the scheme. The consultation ran for a month, from February 26.

Twenty-nine objections were submitted, with 28 stating a loss of parkland as a main concern.

The pre-application consultation report says: “This is understood to be a reference to the development site and not just an area to the east of the site (outside the red line boundary) which is protected by a covenant in terms of its use as open space for recreation.”

One response says: “The park area is used frequently by dog walkers, children, and for the purpose of general wellbeing, which I feel will be lost due to this proposed development.”

Another says: “Although I see the need for affordable housing, I strongly object to proposed loss of any of our parkland to achieve this.”

Other concerns raised include the impact on wildlife, the removal of trees, anti-social behaviour, and privacy.

The demolished Glan yr Afon Court was previously located in the northern part of the site and was built in 1971.

Before its demolition, it contained 29 flats, including 24 bedsits and four one-bedroomed flats.

Concerns were raised by residents about the reason for demolishing flats just to replace them with more housing.

However, the housing association says there is a need for “two and three-bedroom houses, two-bedroom bungalows, as well as two-bedroom flats”.

The accommodation that was originally at the site was “outdated” and failed “to meet modern space, accessibility, or safety standards”, the report says.

It says: “There has been a move away from this type of accommodation with older people preferring to be housed in suitable accommodation within the wider community, such as bungalows or flats.”

A decision will be made on the application in the coming months.