The Council Leader and the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care have visited the Darran Road development site in Mountain Ash, where clearance work is preparing the area for a new care accommodation for older people.
Last month, the Council announced it has appointed a contractor to prepare the land for development, which continues to be progressed throughout March 2025. Planning consent has been received for the joint project between Linc Cymru (Linc) and the Council, which will provide 25 Extra Care apartments, 15 dementia residential care beds, and eight ‘Later Living’ bungalows.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE and Councillor Gareth Caple visited the work site on Thursday, March 13, to see the progress being made. They were welcomed on a tour of the site by the appointed contractor for the clearance work, JG Hale Group – while representatives from Linc also joined the group.
Councillor Gareth Caple, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: “I’d like to thank our contractor for the very warm welcome to the work site in Mountain Ash on Thursday, which was a great opportunity to see the first stage of works to transform the area into a modern, first-class care facility. The mix of Extra Care, dementia, and ‘Later Living’ accommodation will fulfil a local need, and is another example of our commitment to expanding and modernising care options for older people.
“The Mountain Ash scheme follows modern Extra Care housing provided in Aberaman and Graig in recent years, while several other schemes are being progressed. A third Extra Care facility is being built in Porth, along with a specialist care accommodation in Gelli – while we are committed to providing new accommodations in Ferndale and Church Village in the future, focusing on dementia care and learning disabilities in adulthood respectively.”
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, added: “As the Local Member for Mountain Ash, it’s fantastic to see this work activity progressing well – the first step towards revitalising the prominent former pavilion site. Providing new care accommodation will meet a local demand in the Cynon Valley, while bringing the site back into use. The new Extra Care housing that we have provided to date have proven very popular hubs in their communities, which we want to replicate here in Mountain Ash.
“The clearance work has caused minimal disruption to local residents so far, and this is expected to continue in the remaining time ahead. After the site is cleared, there will be a pause in activity as the start of the development’s main construction phase is prepared. Officers will keep residents up-to-date with the next main stages of the overall project in the weeks and months ahead.”
The Council and Linc entered into a five-year Partnership Agreement in 2017 to deliver Extra Care housing schemes across Rhondda Cynon Taf, and this collaboration was later extended to January 2026. Following the successfully-delivered schemes in Aberaman and Graig, and the ongoing project in Porth, the Mountain Ash development marks the fourth scheme in this partnership.
Jo Yellen, Project Manager at Linc Cymru, said: “It’s fantastic to see work progressing on site, marking an important step towards delivering much-needed extra care accommodation in Mountain Ash. This development will provide high-quality homes that help older people live independently, with care and support available when needed. We’re proud to be working with Rhondda Cynon Taf Council to create a welcoming community that meets the needs of local residents, and we look forward to seeing it take shape in the coming months.”
Posted on 19/03/2025