A new £200m town centre development for the communities of Llantrisant, Talbot Green, Pontyclun and neighbouring villages has been granted outline planning permission by Rhonda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

The scheme by Talbot Green Developments Ltd, a joint venture between Valad Europe and Scarborough Development Group, will see a 108,000 sqft Sainsbury's supermarket created plus a further 344,000 sqft of retail space, including a department store and 40 shops suitable for 'high street' brands.

In addition there will be a leisure and entertainment quarter with a multi-screen cinema complex, cafes, restaurants, bars and a hotel.
Andy Richardson, Head of UK Development at Valad Europe, said: "With outline planning in place, we have passed a major milestone in this scheme. Once complete, this major new development will provide a great boost to the local economy, increasing prosperity in the area and transforming it into an important hub for shopping and leisure, as well creating up to 1,900 new jobs."

There will also be office space for local businesses, a range of civic and community facilities, residential apartments and townhouses and improvements to the local highways network and better connections for public transport, cycling and pedestrians.

Mark Jackson, Managing Director of Scarborough Development Group, said: "We are extremely pleased with the council's decision. During our consultation we were encouraged by the feedback from the communities of Talbot Green, Pontyclun, Llantrisant and the surrounding areas, who expressed a strong appetite for the development. It has been a long process to get to this point and we now look forward to progressing to the next stage of the project."

The town centre development will be built on mainly brownfield land, including the sites of the former Purolite and Staedtler factories, alongside the A473, 10 miles north-west of Cardiff and close to the M4 motorway.