Aberdare: Plans for bypass scrapped by Welsh government

The level of traffic in the villages of Penywaun and Llwydcoed is a concern for residents

Plans for a bypass have been halted as part of an end to road building projects in Wales.

On Tuesday, the Welsh government announced all major road building projects would be scrapped over environmental concerns.

It included the Cynon Gateway North in Rhondda Cynon Taf in a list of schemes which would not be funded.

However, it said it would be considered for future funding if it meets new tests.

The freeze on new developments was first announced in June 2021, and now the results of a year-long roads review by a panel of experts have been published.

The announcement affects more than 50 road-building projects around Wales and is part of the government's National Transport Plan, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

• All major road building projects in Wales scrapped

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Rhondda Cynon Taf Council had proposed creating a single carriageway - the Cynon Gateway North - from a new roundabout at Croesbychan on the A465, to a new roundabout off the A4059.

The planned scheme was about 1.6 miles (2.6km) north-west of Aberdare and aimed to connect the A4059 east of Penywaun with an unnamed road leading off the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road to the north.

The volume of traffic in the villages of Penywaun and Llwydcoed, pollution and the safety of children and elderly people crossing the road were among the arguments in support of the project.

Those against it cited environmental concerns such as noise and pollution, the impact on wildlife, and the loss of farming land and ancient woodland.

The council's planning committee gave backing in March 2022, but could not officially approve it after a request from the Welsh government.

'Not safe'

Sian Lucas, a member of the Llwydcoed Community Action Group, described the decision as "a great disappointment".

She said: "It is a village which I love living in but is becoming busy and worrying from a safety point of view."

She said the community would "hold on to the hope" that there might be a bypass in the future.

Resident Dee Singleton added: "We've got huge amounts of traffic coming down here. It simply isn't safe.

"They say they want people to come to Wales and enjoy themselves then they make it very difficult for people to travel."

'Won't take no as an answer'

In a joint statement, Vikki Howells, Labour MS for Cynon Valley, and Labour councillors Louisa Addiscott, Ann Crimmings, Gareth Jones and Sharon Rees, said they were "deeply disappointed" by the decision.

"The decision is a setback but we do not intend to take this no as an answer that will be set in stone forever."

Speaking in the Senedd, Lee Waters MS, the deputy minister for climate change, said the roads review was a "major step forward".

"We will still invest in roads, but we are raising the bar for where new roads are the right response to transport problems.

"We are also investing in real alternatives, including investment in rail, bus, walking and cycling projects."