Cardiff Council outlines plans for more high quality, low-carbon homes

The scale and ambition of Cardiff's council housing development programme has been outlined in the authority's annual Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan.

Representing one of the largest council housing build projects in Wales, the Council's £800m investment in more high-quality, low carbon, affordable homes remains crucial in addressing the significant levels of housing need in the city, and is a key priority in the 2023/24 Business Plan.

As part of the programme, more than £150m has been earmarked for 10 new older person community living schemes, providing 600 new apartments to meet older people's aspirations and needs as they age.

Sustainability and innovation are key drivers with developments such as the highly energy efficient, modular-build homes at Crofts Street, Plasnewydd and the net-zero ready Aspen Grove site with its use of renewable technologies.

Investment in the new build programme forms part of around £111m that will be ploughed into housing and communities in the city over the next 12 months, on improvements to existing homes, disabled adaptations and regeneration schemes. 

The move towards carbon zero homes is a priority not only in new-build developments but in existing stock, in line with the Council's One Planet Cardiff Strategy.

Almost £16m will be spent on existing stock, including £3.1m on energy efficiency schemes to make them more comfortable to live in and more affordable to run for tenants.

Highly energy efficient, modular-build homes on Crofts Street in Plasnewydd - Credit: AECOM

Other priorities include continuing to deliver cost of living support, preventing and alleviating homelessness and modernising and improving services for tenants.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Councillor Lynda Thorne, said:

"Right now, our services are experiencing pressures across the board - high demand for good quality affordable housing with around 8,000 people on the city's housing waiting list, unprecedented numbers of people accessing our homelessness services and of course, more residents struggling to deal with the rising costs of energy, food and so on.

"I am committed to addressing the challenges we face and it is more important than ever that we are able to provide good quality, affordable housing to those who need it most, and effective advice and support to our tenants."

As one of only 11 stock-retaining local authorities in Wales, the council is required to present an acceptable HRA Business Plan to Welsh Government each year.

Mrs Thorne added:

"As well as overcoming these challenges, there's much to look forward to in the coming year - with our development plan going from strength to strength, our first new older persons housing scheme at Addison House in Rumney opening in the autumn, the expansion of the Gasworks site to help tackle the housing crisis and the first phase of the transformation of the Channel View estate, to name but a few."

At its next meeting on Thursday, March 23, Cabinet is recommended to approve the HRA Business Plan 2023/24 for presentation to Welsh Government.

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