New £3.7million housing development completed

Work has been completed on a new £3.7 million affordable housing development in Carmarthen.

Carmarthenshire County Council successfully applied to the Welsh Government for a grant, which helped cover the costs of a 37-house scheme in Priory Street.

Made up of 27 one bedroom flats and ten two-bedroom homes, the development is part of the council’s ongoing drive to deliver 1,000 more affordable homes across the county by 2021.

The scheme, which is being managed by Bro Myrddin Housing Association, also included a contribution to Richmond Park Primary School towards the cost of a defibrillator and helped erect fencing for Carmarthen Town Football Club.

Local schoolchildren also visited the site during the archaeological dig and buried a time capsule in the foundations.

The council is committed to building over 900 new council homes over the next five years in a £150million investment.

This is in addition to the council’s previous commitment to deliver 1,000 affordable homes to rent and buy across the county by 2021 – a commitment that has already been achieved with 1037 homes already delivered.

Carmarthenshire is one of only a few local authorities in Wales with such wide-scale plans for investment in social housing – the biggest since the 1970s.

Cllr Linda Evans, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board Member for Housing, said: “We’re delighted that this development has now been finished and it will benefit dozens of families in Carmarthen. This scheme does not only meet the need for more affordable housing but we are building new homes and working with tenants and key partners to ensure Carmarthenshire is at the forefront of the decarbonisation agenda. We have already realised our promise we made in our Affordable Homes Commitment back in 2016 to deliver over 1,000 more high quality, affordable homes in Carmarthenshire by 2021. The investment associated with providing these homes has helped stimulate the local economy and created much needed local jobs in the county. We have already delivered 1037 homes and are committed to delivering more to meet housing need and benefit local people.”

Bro Myrddin’s chief executive officer, Hilary Jones said: “We are thrilled the Priory Street development which offers attractive, high quality and affordable homes to both families and individuals has completed and that all homes have now been allocated. It has been a pleasure working with local contractors on this development and to see the benefits this scheme has created for those living within the local community. We are committed to providing and increasing the affordable housing stock and will continue to seek and manage new developments in areas of need, working in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council and Welsh Government.”