DERELICT land in a town's main shopping street is to be transformed into flats and a takeaway.

Housing firm Grwp Gwalia has been granted planning permission to build "affordable" homes at 104C High Street, Gorseinon — the former site of the Roma 2000 fish and chip shop.

The news has been welcomed by a number of local traders and residents who described the town centre waste-ground as an eyesore.

Retired businessman Phillip Sillick, a member of the town's chamber of trade and commerce, said the site was too large to be derelict.

Developments

"We do not want to see any of the existing town centre developments being empty," he said.

"The retail aspect is the most welcoming of the applications.''

Blueprints show the approved building consists of 14 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom apartments, split into two blocks.

Block A consists of six twobedroom flats over three floors, with a takeaway on the ground floor. Block B features 14 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom flats.

No details of the proposed hotfood takeaway are included in the plans.

Earlier this year, members of Gorseinon Town Council's planning committee raised their objections to the scheme.

Local councillor Jim Dunkley described the application as totally inappropriate, saying the town centre was supposed to be "retail, not residential".

Gwalia, which insisted the development was a mixture of the two, said it was pleased planning permission had been granted.

Stuart Davies, Gwalia's director of affordable housing, anticipated the scheme would take 14 months to complete.

"This is a regeneration site which will help meet the needs of local people and assist the local authority in achieving the objectives of the local housing strategy," he said.

"We hope to be on site before the end of this financial year and we are delighted to be able to work with Waterstone homes again."

Award-winning chippy Roma 2000 still trades in High Street in Gorseinon.

ben.wright@swwmedia.co.uk