�60m plans put forward for town

An artist's impression of how the Risca development will look Enlarge Image

A �60m retail, office and housing scheme for Caerphilly county has been unveiled.

The plans include 500 supermarket jobs at a new Tesco Extra store on the site of an old steel foundry at Risca.

The proposals, which need planning permission from Caerphilly Council, also include 200 flats, offices and a 50-bed care home.

South Wales-based developer the Bird Group said it was an "exciting opportunity" for the town.

Director Brian Bird said the plans would act as a catalyst for the further development of the town.

"The scheme, as well as providing the opportunity for quality employment, will improve the amenities of the town with large open areas of grassland and a river walkway which will provide public access to the Ebbw and the views beyond for the first time."

'Commercial stature'

The proposals over five acres east of the river aim to create a landmark entrance to the town.

The homes consist of 81 apartments on Mill Street and 132 apartments in Commercial Street, many of them for first-time buyers, the developer said.

The plans are being hailed as an "exciting opportunity" for Risca

The proposal, which has been worked on for four years, is a change to an original plan, which would have involved more than 300 flats.

Caerphilly Council chief executive Stuart Rosser said: "The potential benefits of a large food retailer located within walking distance of the centre of Risca are enormous.

"Any inward investment of this scale will greatly improve Risca's commercial stature and significantly reduce the amount of retail spend seeping out of the county borough."

The developers have commissioned Monmouthshire sculptor Richard Wills to create a bronze statue of a steelworker as a centrepiece.

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