Campaigners claim 460 new homes in Miskin will harm wildlife

Councillors are set to decide on controversial plans to build 460 homes in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The development on Cefn yr Hendy fields in Miskin was given outline planning permission in 2018.

A bid by Campaign group Friends of Cefn Yr Hendy to block the plans by getting the land designated as a village green was rejected in 2020.

Officers at Rhondda Rhondda Cynon Taf Council have now recommended to approve the plans at a meeting on 12 January.

Residents are concerned at the loss of open space and the impact more homes will have on traffic, schools, noise pollution and local healthcare.

They are also concerned at the potential impact of the development on local wildlife and biodiversity, given the land features ancient woodland and is home to mice, bats and birds of prey.

Campaigners have called for any decision to be delayed until the publication of ecology and bat surveys, due in the summer, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However council planning officers said the application complies with the Local Development Plan for the area and claimed the developer has addressed the concerns from the public.

Of the 460 proposed homes, 368 would be for private sale, 30 would be affordable housing units and 62 would be social rented properties.