Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is marking a major milestone for the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor, with a full planning application for the project to be submitted in the weeks ahead.
It is a significant step forward for a project that aims to create a new 4km transport corridor, with a walking and cycling route alongside – aiming to address long-standing issues with congestion, road safety, goods vehicle traffic and air quality along the A473 through Llanharan.
The proposals have been shaped to place a stronger emphasis on sustainable transport, with greater focus on walking, cycling and public transport. They include bus priority measures at key junctions, a shared active travel path running the full length of the route, several signal-controlled crossings, and design features intended to reduce environmental impact, avoid ancient woodland loss, support biodiversity and improve drainage.
The Council has recently welcomed £660,000 from Welsh Government through the Cardiff Capital Region Regional Transport Fund 2026/27. The Welsh Government Regional Transport Fund is intended to make local transport more accessible for everyone and help people get around more easily, while supporting better walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport access and safer local journeys across Wales.
That funding sits alongside the Council’s own major financial commitment to the scheme, with Cabinet agreeing to allocate £4.5 million to the project as part of the 2026/27 Highways Capital Programme at Members’ recent meeting on March 18.
The planning submission will follow the project’s public pre-application consultation, which was held in autumn 2025 and gave residents, landowners and stakeholders the opportunity to comment on the revised plans. Feedback from this process has helped to refine the proposals for the formal planning application.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Investment, said: “Submitting the full planning application for the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor will be a key milestone for this project and for the wider area. It reflects a huge amount of work to bring forward a scheme that responds to long-standing local transport issues, while also placing a much stronger focus on sustainable travel.
“This project is about making it easier for people to get around, whether that is by bus, on foot, by bike or as part of everyday local journeys, while also helping to reduce congestion, improve road safety and deal with the impact of heavy traffic through Llanharan.
“We very much welcome the £660,000 Welsh Government funding for 2026/27 through the Cardiff Capital Region, and that is being matched by the Council’s own significant commitment through the £4.5 million allocation agreed in our Highways Capital Programme in the last week. It shows clearly how serious we are about moving this important scheme forward.
“Over the last decade, the Council has made significant investment in highways and infrastructure right across Rhondda Cynon Taf. We have taken a long-term approach because we know how important good infrastructure is to our communities, our economy and everyday quality of life. We’ve invested in maintaining roads, repairing bridges and structures, improving flood resilience, supporting active travel and developing major transport schemes for the future. That continued investment has made a real difference, and this milestone is another positive step forward.”
The Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor remains one of the Council’s key strategic transport projects for the future, and the submission of the planning application represents a major step towards delivering a scheme designed to support local communities by improving the transport network in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Posted on 24/03/2026