The next stage of a £100m investment in affordable housing in Cardiff is underway.
Work has started on a number of new sites, with more set to commence before the end of the year, in the Council’s ambitious housing development partnership with Wates Residential, Cardiff Living.
The scheme, which will deliver around 1,700 new homes for the city, including more than 700 affordable properties, is now moving to the next phase of development which has seen the start of work on sites in Penylan, Rumney and Heath.
The largest single Cardiff Living development to date is underway at the former Eastern High School site in Rumney, comprising more than 200 new low carbon homes incorporating renewable technologies & energy management systems. The site will deliver 44 Community Living flats for older people, 21 council homes and 149 homes for sale on the open market.
Works are well underway at the Highfields site in Heath for the construction of 42 homes for rent from the council or for sale via its Assisted Home Ownership scheme, with the scheme due to complete next year.
Forty-three new homes, including nine council houses, are also set to be delivered at the former Howardian Centre site in Penylan. Enabling works started earlier this month and main works are due to start later this year.
Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: “Following an extremely successful first phase of our Cardiff Living programme, in which beautiful new homes were delivered for council tenants and private buyers across the city, we are looking forward to the next steps in the scheme, creating even more high quality, sustainable homes for people.
“I am particularly excited about the development of the former Eastern high site off Newport Road, not just because of the scale of the project, but because of the high standards of energy performance set to be delivered across all tenures of housing there.
“Addison House, the 44 state-of-the-art flats for older people, will also be the first of our Community Living developments, which will seek to provide high quality homes that meet the changing needs of people as they get older.”
Ed Rees, Regional Director for Wates Residential, commented: “We believe that everyone deserves a great place to live and, since 2016, we are proud to have delivered over 430 much-needed high quality, sustainable new homes for local people across the city through our award-winning Cardiff Living partnership with Cardiff Council.
“We are excited to have now embarked on an even more ambitious development programme as part of phases 2 and 3 of the Cardiff Living partnership. In particular, the Eastern High development will see us deliver some of Wales’ most sustainable and cost efficient homes for current and future generations to benefit from.”
Cardiff Living has delivered 171 affordable properties to date as well as 172 open market completions, in high quality developments in terms of place making and urban design. Work continues on the Phase 1 Silvervale Park site in St Mellons, which is due to complete in early 2021, while 39 affordable units at Briardene in Gabalfa are due to be handed over to the Council next Spring.
On the final Phase 1 site to commence at Llandudno Road in Rumney, the programme will deliver 16 three bedroom Council homes, two of which will be for sale through the Assisted Home Ownership scheme.
Meanwhile, planning permission for another 23 Cardiff Living homes was recently granted for Brookfield Drive in Trowbridge.