Planning permission has been granted by Torfaen Planning Committee for the proposals to expand Cwmbran Town Centre by DLA Architecture.

 

The proposals contain wider aspirations for the easterly expansion of the town centre which aim to contribute positively towards improving the connectivity between the town centre and its peripheries to aid expansion.

 

Cwmbran means 'valley of the crow' and there is evidence to suggest that the town was inhabited in the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age. Cwmbran Town Centre was created through a New Town designation in 1949 and building work then began in 1951. If the town centre architecture is not quite in the spirit of what historian Rayner Banham would consider New Brutalist, it is certainly large-scale Modernism. With this background of history and progressive modern design, the scheme becomes an architectural challenge.

 

The application submitted by DLA takes the form of an overall Masterplan, and approval has been sought for the following:

 

- A new food store for Wm Morrison's along with associated parking, servicing and petrol filling station.
- A new pedestrian link bridge from the existing town centre
- A refurbished factory and office facility for Arvin Meritor Ltd
- Two office buildings, a hotel with a pub/restaurant and associated car parking and landscaping works.

 

This scheme strengthens DLA's 30 year relationship with Morrison's which has seen the successful delivery of several superstores and distribution centres across the UK, as well as introducing a new relationship between DLA and Arvin Meritor.