Bridgend councillors have granted more time to the developer of the Ty’n Y Waun Solar project
Developers have been granted an extra five years to build a solar farm site planned for the west of Heol-y-Cyw in Bridgend.
The decision was made by Bridgend County Borough Council’s planning committee at a meeting in June for the project known as the Ty’n Y Waun Solar development.
This was originally approved by the Welsh Government in 2024 on the condition it would be built no more than five years after the approval.
Once completed the new energy site located between the villages of Heol-y-Cyw and Bryncethin would be expected to produce enough power for around 12,500 homes per year.
However developers at Cenin Renewables requested an extension of an additional five years to start work on the project due to potential delays with connecting the site to the National Grid.
The report given to councillors said this came as a result of changes made by the UK Government in April 2025 on how how renewable projects can connect to the grid.
It added that because of this there was a “reasonable concern that the connection date could easily be pushed back to a date that would be beyond the five-year lifetime of the permission”.
A representative speaking on behalf of Cenin Renewables said it was a timeframe change only with the project remaining exactly the same in scale and with no material planning impacts.
They added it was simply “prudent foresight” as the connection could take longer than the consent would allow for.
Councillor Tim Thomas of St. Bride’s Minor and Ynysawdre called for members to reject the proposal as he felt it could have a have “widespread impact” to the community who would have no definitive timeline for the works to be completed. He also noted the delay could see the environmental data that was collected made obsolete.
Others raised concern over a section of the report which noted how the plan could “dovetail the construction of the project” with the proposed Mynydd y Gaer wind farm that is currently waiting to be decided on.
Members felt the suggestion was speculative given the latter project was yet to be approve, though planning officers reminded the chamber the solar farm project had already been given the go-ahead by Welsh Government with the decision to approve the amended condition not linked to the wind farm site.
Cllr Simon Griffiths said he was inclined to accept the change as it would be short-sighted for the developer to have to abandon the green plans because they didn’t have enough time to connect to the grid.
Following recommendations the plans to amend the date of the works were passed by a vote eight members to four.








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