A £30m extension of the Cyfarthfa Retail Park by Hammerson has been approved by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.

The proposals include a new 50,000 sqft Marks & Spencer store offering clothing, homeware and food, along with five further stores for new retailers. The existing B&Q store will be relocated to the former Thorn Electrical site on the other side of the Swansea Road, along with two additional new retail stores.

Russell Beresford, Development Manager at Hammerson, said: The £30 million investment provides a real boost to the town's offer, and much needed employment opportunities with hundreds of new jobs. We share the Council's ambition to make Merthyr Tydfil the premier shopping destination in the Heads of the Valleys; bringing in Marks & Spencer and extending the retail park will add to the overall draw of the town and act as a catalyst for
further investment."

Over 200 jobs will be created during the construction phase with a further 230 full time equivalent jobs in the park upon completion.
Improvements will be made to the car parks and access roads as well as to both the A470 junction and the Swansea Road roundabout.

Work is scheduled to start on the extension later this year with the aim for the new stores on the Thorn site, including the new B&Q, trading early in 2014. The new stores on the main park will be ready by December 2014.