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Carmarthenshire hoping for more council houses

Carmarthenshire County Council is hoping to build council properties in the county for the first time since the 1980s and has put forward proposals to build bungalows at Llanelli and Kidwelly.

Welsh Assembly Government Deputy Minister for Housing Jocelyn Davies yesterday visited y Waun, Llwynhendy, Llanelli, to look at one of the sites proposed.

She was accompanied by the council’s executive board member for housing and public protection Cllr Hugh Evans and council head of housing Robin Staines.
Cllr Evans has now formally handed over the application to the Deputy Housing Minister asking for permission to go ahead with the project to build 39 bungalows.

They would be built on three sites - Y Waun, Llanelli, with a proposal for 26 bungalows; Morfa Maen, Kidwelly, with a proposal for eight bungalows, and Llysnewydd, Llanelli, with a proposal for five bungalows.

The development cost of the 39 new bungalows is estimated to be £3.6 million. The revenue generated from the bungalow rental income will support these capital costs, together with the Housing Revenue Account.

The council’s application shows that the provision of these new homes for older people will realise great savings and benefits for the council, which will include: meeting housing and social care needs, helping older people to live safely in their own homes in their communities for longer with a minimum call on social services, making savings on residential care, home care and the demand for disabled adaptations.

The development will also make the best use of housing stock by enabling smaller households to down size to more appropriate accommodation and freeing up larger accommodation for families, make savings on temporary accommodation for homeless families, due to family-sized homes being released for re-letting sooner, reduce fuel poverty for older people, and create design and construction jobs in the county, building on the 100 construction apprenticeships already secured.

Full council agreed to the development of new build bungalows for the elderly this February. Planning permission will be applied for if WAG gives the go ahead.
The properties will be energy efficient and contain renewable technology. The average annual heating bill is estimated to be £177, and the annual CO2 emissions will be less than 1.3 tonnes per year.

The timescale for development is to complete the scheme 36 months from the date of approval from the Assembly.

Head of housing Robin Staines said: “These bungalows would be the first council homes to be built in Carmarthenshire for about 10 years.”

Executive board member for housing and public protection Cllr Hugh Evans said: “I am delighted that the Deputy Minister for Housing has been to see one of the sites for this exciting proposed development.
“It will be very good news if we are able to go ahead with this. It would give older people the opportunity to move from a three-bedroom house to a bungalow if they want to.

“This scheme would provide older people with the chance to move into new homes better suited to their needs, making larger council houses available for younger families.”

The Deputy Minister said: “It was very helpful to see the one of the sites of the planned development.

“Should the project get the go ahead, it would represent another small but significant step towards achieving our One Wales commitment to provide 6,500 more affordable homes. We are now two thirds of the way to achieving this target thanks to funding from the Welsh Assembly Government Social Housing Grant and Strategic Capital Investment Fund programme and to the contribution of partner organisations like housing associations and local authorities.“

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