Construction update on Pontypridd Extra Care facility, Cwrt yr Orsaf

Written by on 22nd June 2020

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has issued a progress update on construction of the Pontypridd Extra Care facility being delivered jointly with Linc Cymru (Linc) – and a good rate of progress has been made despite the Coronavirus national emergency.

Construction of the new facility began during summer 2019, to create a state-of-the-art 60-apartment Extra Care Facility on the site of the former Pontypridd Magistrates’ Court at Union Street, Graig. It has recently been confirmed that the facility will be officially named Cwrt yr Orsaf, or ‘Station Court’.

Extra Care helps older people live as active and independent lives as possible, with 24/7 on-site support available for residents’ assessed needs.

Cwrt yr Orsaf will be the third Extra Care facility in Rhondda Cynon Taf after Ty Heulog in Talbot Green and the recently-opened Maesyffynnon Extra Care facility in Aberaman. This scheme welcomed its first residents in May, and was delivered as part of a £50m investment in Extra Care which also includes Cwrt yr Orsaf and future schemes for Treorchy, Mountain Ash and Porth.

Cwrt yr Orsaf will include dining areas, a communal kitchen, lounge areas, a hair salon, a 31-space car park, communal landscaped gardens and day care unit. The existing site access from Union Street is being widened in the development.

The Council and Linc’s contractor, Jehu, has made good progress recently – adhering to UK Government and Construction Leadership Council guidance to ensure social distancing in the Coronavirus national emergency.

The building substructures are now complete, and noticeable progress has been made with the lightweight steel frame, on course to be completed in August 2020. The frame is in place on the lower floors, enabling other works to get underway and make progress – including initial mechanical and electrical installations and the construction of the external masonry façade.

Roof trusses have also started to be erected on some of the lower level roof areas, with the main roof area expected to get underway during August 2020. The development is currently on course to welcome its first residents during summer 2021, subject to the ongoing Coronavirus national emergency.

Councillor Geraint Hopkins, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for Adult Services, said: “This is a very positive project update, which should reassure residents that the Pontypridd Extra Care development still continues to make important progress during the Coronavirus emergency – with our contractor adhering to social distancing practices recognised by the construction industry at this moment in time.

“We have recently seen the impressive Maesyffynnon Extra Care facility open its doors in Aberaman, and it is already making a difference by helping older people to stay as independent as possible, while crucially receiving around-the-clock support. These facilities create a community within each building, and also encourage residents to integrate within the wider local community.

“Cwrt yr Orsaf will be the next facility to be delivered as part of an ongoing £50m investment to increase the number of Extra Care beds in the County Borough to 300. The Pontypridd scheme is on course for completion next summer, although we must acknowledge that Coronavirus currently presents a number of unknowns which have the potential to affect future progress.”

Linc’s Development Manager, Richard Hallett said: “We are delighted to be working with RCT County Borough to help deliver their extra care programme. Jehu Project Services’ determination to maintain good progress on site while adapting their approach to comply with current restrictions is a credit to them. We are confident that local people will gain significant benefit from this landmark development.”


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