Plans for a new low-carbon estate in north Wales have been revealed. The 12-acre site in Pensarn, near Abergele, will be developed into 131 low-carbon homes.
The development is being led by housing association Cartrefi Conwy which acquired the site earlier this year with financial support from the Welsh Government.
It forms part of the firm's strategy to build 1,000 new homes across the area over the next 10 years.
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Pitched as "the most energy efficient homes you can build in the UK" the development aims to link with the Welsh Government's strategy to deliver affordable, energy efficient homes that tackle fuel poverty.
They will have minimal environmental impact with high-performance insulation to cut heat loss, which would save residents up to 80% in annual energy costs. The development would provide much needed homes for social or intermediate rent, said the association.
Chief executive Andrew Bowden said: “These modular homes are revolutionising the social housing market in north Wales. The development could not be more timely because the sky rocketing cost of energy is a huge worry to people at the moment.
“The energy costs of the homes in Pensarn will be 80 per cent cheaper than traditionally built homes of a similar size. The other benefit is that the profit made by Creating Enterprise will be recycled for social good which actually bring tenants back into paid employment. This is profit with a purpose.”
Cartrefi has already secured planning permission for the site, however the firm is now looking to amend the design to deliver 100% affordable housing.
David Kelsall, assistant director for development and growth, said: "Although the site already has planning permission, the plans for the original development wasn’t progressed but that permission remains live.
"We are looking to amend the design to deliver a 100 per cent affordable housing scheme that will be mixture of tenanted homes for social rent and intermediate rent. We have a draft lay-out at the moment and it’s gone to the local authority for them to comment on the plan."
He added: "Once we have got our designs firmed up we will consult fully with the public and other statutory consultees."
If the amended planning application is approved by Conwy County Borough Council, it will be the biggest housing scheme undertaken by the housing association.
Building and maintenance contractor Creating Enterprise, a subsidiary of Cartrefi Conwy which specialises in modular construction will build the timber frames for the Passivhaus standard housing at its factory in Rhyl.
Managing director of commercial services Adrian Johnson, who set up the the Creating Enterprise factory, said the development would be hugely significant on many levels.
He said: “This is potentially incredibly good news and we are keeping our fingers crossed in term of planning. This would be the equivalent of three years of orders for the factory in Rhyl and would take the total number of orders we have to over 300.
“The properties themselves are very advanced in terms of building control standards, exceeding sound-proofing requirements and it has in-built radon gas barriers. It’s up to passive standard which means they are going to be among the most energy efficient homes you can build in the UK."
He added: "We manufacture the panels in the factory which means they can be erected very quickly on site. No wet trades are required so if there is any bad weather it doesn’t affect us. Another real bonus of this product is that it is so flexible and you can build anything from a one bedroom apartment to a five-bedroom house."
Cartrefi Conwy is a registered social landlord with over 4,000 properties throughout the county of Conwy in north Wales.
Katie Clubb said the need for the development was underlined by the fact that there are around 1,800 people on the waiting list for social housing in Conwy.
She said: “This is very exciting because it will be the biggest single housing development ever undertaken by Cartrefi Conwy. With the help of financial support from the Welsh Government, we acquired the land earlier this year and it’s going to be a development of 100% affordable homes.
“They will all be modular homes with the frames being built at the Creating Enterprise factory in Rhyl, creating work and training opportunities for people who are furthest from the jobs market."
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