Link road timing change at Land West of Maesteg Road, Tondu

“PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT Condition 30 of the Outline Consent required the Highway Mitigation Work which included the link road to be completed prior to the occupation of the 136 th dwelling on site. Under S73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended), this Application seeks to vary the wording of Condition 30 and to allow up to 235 dwellings to be occupied prior to the completion of the Highway Mitigation Works.”

“A Planning Statement by SLP Consulting and Technical Note (TN) by SLR Consulting Ltd have accompanied the Application and both consider the impact of the delayed construction of the link road and associated works on the highway network. The planning statement provided on behalf of the Applicant company summarises the finding and conclusions of the Transport…”

“BACKGROUND On 13 th December 2018, outline planning consent was granted for a development of up to 450 dwellings, 1000 square metres of business uses on 0.5 hectares of land (Use Class B1), highway improvement works along with the provision of public open space, green infrastructure, two attenuation ponds and all other associated works on 21.8 hectares of land located off Maesteg Road, Tondu, (P/16/366/OUT refers).”

“Having regard to the aforementioned Policies and representations received by residents, community groups, the Community Council and Members, the only matter to be considered in the assessment of this Application is whether allowing the completion of the link road to be delayed until the occupation of the 235th dwelling, through the variation of condition 30 would have an adverse impact on the operation of the road network to the detriment of highway safety and the living…”

“Existing highway arrangements have been reviewed along with an analysis of road safety and the latest collision data, (2017-2023). All collisions were recorded as slight in severity, and majority of these collisions relate to driver error with one relating to weather conditions. Most are shunt type accidents which are commonplace at signal-controlled junctions and hence there is no evidence to suggest any inherent highway safety issue on this section of the highway network.”

“Traffic and Infrastructure Concerns The delay in road construction will significantly impact traffic flow and safety to and from the estate. Under the Highways Act 1980, Section 278 agreements require developers to ensure that road improvements are sufficient to accommodate increased demand and I believe this formed part of the original condition once the development reached a certain number of properties.”

“Moreover, the proposed extension of the construction timeline to 2027 for implementing necessary road layout changes raises serious concerns. The delay in progressing with essential infrastructure improvements, despite initial site clearance activities, raises questions about the developer's commitment to mitigating the adverse impacts of their development on our community. Therefore, we firmly object to Planning Application P/25/259/RLX.”

“No other changes to the Outline Consent are proposed and the Applicant intends to fulfil all other conditions and obligations. • Constructing the new link road and keeping Maesteg Road is not before the Council for consideration, and it would not be possible based on the road alignment and junction configuration. • Concerns about noise from the new link road were considered as part of the original outline application.”

“RESOLVED: (1) That the above application be deferred to allow the applicant to undertake traffic surveys, to be carried out between 01 September and 06 September 2025 (Monday - Friday). The new traffic survey data will then be checked to validate the survey work undertaken as part of the Technical Note that accompanied the application.”