Welsh ministers have decided not to call in a £280m plan for a new motor racing circuit and mixed-use development project in Blaenau Gwent.
The plan was put on hold in July while the Welsh government decided whether the scheme should be called in – a step taken when proposals are deemed to have more than local importance.
But according to a letter from the Department for Housing and Regeneration to the head of planning at the county borough council, it has been decided that the decision is to be taken locally.
Among the concerns set out in the letter was an objection from Natural Resources Wales on environmental grounds. The body has now reached an agreement with the Heads of the Valleys Development Company and said it was “satisfied” that the impacts of the scheme can be “appropriately managed”.
Calling in a scheme can lead to delays of up to a year.
Sitting north of the Rassau industrial estate and next to the Brecon Beacons National Park, the 344-hectare scheme will include 684,000 sq ft of light industrial and office space.
It will also feature 390,000 sq ft of industrial and warehousing space, 250,000 sq ft of hotels, 400,000 sq ft of showrooms, as well as a 12-hectare solar park.
The proposal is a departure from Blaenau Gwent’s local development plan, adopted in 2012, but is supported as a major tourist attraction in the northern area of the borough.
The council will now be allowed to determine whether the scheme should be granted planning permission.
chris.berkin@estatesgazette.com
