‘A home is more than bricks and mortar’: £32m investment in new social housing

Mum Shirley Jones was thrilled to move into her new house in Lampeter once the first lockdown restrictions allowed, built thanks to Welsh Government funding. 

Shirley and her three-year-old daughter Briallen had been waiting two years to move from their second floor flat to a home with a garden. 

They moved into their newly-built two-bedroom house on the site of the former Ysgol Gynradd Ffynonbedr in Lampeter in the summer of 2020 and Briallen wasted no time playing and having fun in her new garden.  

Shirley says: “Our new home is modern and warm and perfect for our needs.  It was important to stay in Lampeter to be close to my family, who all live in the area.” 

“Living in a flat with no outdoor space was a nightmare for my daughter during the lockdown.  Being able to go outdoors, have fresh air and play safely has been so important during the lockdowns. Briallen loves being outdoors and playing in our garden.” 

Wales & West Housing worked with Hacer Developments to build 18 new homes, a mix of houses and apartments on the site on the former Ysgol Gynradd Ffynonbedr. Wales and West Housing staff arranged virtual viewings and staggered the moving in dates to allow social distancing for the safety of residents. The housing was developed with support from Welsh Government Land for Housing Fund.

Housing Minister Julie James said: “Through Land for Housing we offer loan funding to housing associations, so they can buy land to develop affordable and market housing. As they repay the loans we recycle the funding so that more homes can be built.

“As Shirley and Briallen can tell us, homes are so much more than just bricks and mortar. More than ever, the last year has shown how important safe, affordable housing is to our health and wellbeing.

“I’m confident we will meet our target of building 20,000 affordable homes before the end of this Senedd term; the Land for Housing scheme is just part of our commitment to increasing the supply of affordable housing in Wales.”

Through the Land for Housing scheme, the Welsh Government has provided loan funding totalling £72 million to support the building of just over 6,300 new homes, over 83% of which will be affordable.

Joanna Davoile, Director of Development at Wales & West Housing, said: “Providing modern, energy-efficient homes in communities so that local people like Shirley can afford to live close to their family, in the places where they were born and brought up, is key to everything we do at Wales & West Housing.

“We are building more new homes than ever, that are genuinely affordable, to help the Welsh Government meet its 20,000 target. Currently we have around 900 new homes under construction and aim to complete 2,500 new homes across Wales over the next five years.

“Supporting the Welsh economy by providing work and homes for local people is more important than ever in the current situation. The Welsh Government’s Land for Housing scheme has been vital in helping us to achieve our affordable home building goals and to play our part in tackling homelessness.”