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Pontnewynydd tower block to get futuristic makeover

10:38am Thursday 2nd September 2010

A MEETING room with glass walls will be built on top of a tower block in Pontnewynydd as part of its futuristic makeover.

Fairview Court will also get wind turbines and solar panels as part of the radical improvements designed to improve the quality of life for the 70 residents living in the flats.

Previously dubbed the Tower of Terror, the 12-storey 1960s tower block has been dogged by anti-social problems that Bron Afon hopes to tackle with the £1 million scheme.

The development will be paid for by a mix of Bron Afon funding, Assembly grants and money that will be earned by selling electricity produced by the wind turbines and solar panels back to the national grid.

The improvements are: - A single storey extention on the roof to create a residents' sky lounge and IT suite with glass walls to provide an open, bright community room.

- White, green and purple pastel coloured panels, glazing and vertical fins to break up the visual mass of the building and add interest.

- Three two-metre diameter wind turbines on the roof of the sky lounge mounted on five metre poles and solar panels totalling 80m2 on the roof deck to provide power to the communal areas. The excess electricity will be sold back to the national grid.

- Insulated overcladding on the tower block to help residents save cash on their heating bills.

- New double glazed windows installed along with horizontal blinds on the south facing windows to reduce solar heat gain and glare.

- A new single storey ground floor lobby constructed in between the two wings.

- The storage area and community rooms at ground floor level turned back into two individual flats.

- Flats that need internal work will be refurbished with a new kitchen, bathroom and electrical rewiring.

- New landscaping and fencing around the block.

Chief Executive of Bron Afon, Duncan Forbes said: "This is a landmark building in Pontnewynydd that can be seen from miles around.

"The scheme will leave virtually no part of the block untouched with work to raise the standard of internal communal areas, reduce noise and modernise the lifts."

The application was approved at a planning meeting subject to conditions and work will start in approximately six weeks and will take 26 weeks to complete.

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