Inside Housing – News – Welsh council unveils £800m plan to deliver 4,000 homes by 2030
Cardiff Council has pledged to build 4,000 new homes by 2030 as part of an £800m investment which is one of the biggest social housing schemes in Wales.
A completed house on Llandudno Road, Cardiff
dividing lines
Cardiff Council pledges to build 4,000 new homes and says the £800m investment represents the biggest social housing scheme in Wales #UKhousing
The City Council has announced capital expenditure of £74m for 2022-23 under a scheme which will aim to address a range of issues including fire safety, repairs and homelessness.
The key proposal is a commitment to build over 4,000 new homes in a wide range of locations, including 2,800 new social homes.
Councilors will also consider a number of targets under the council’s Housing Income Account (HRA) business plan for 2022-23 at a cabinet session tomorrow.
These include building new social housing, investing in existing homes and community facilities, and moving towards zero carbon.
Lynda Thorne, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said: “It’s not just about building quality homes. Access to services and a healthy local economy are essential for safe and strong communities. Our program will deliver both improved neighborhoods and new neighborhoods where people are proud to live.
The building program is already underway in Cardiff. By January of this year, 802 new homes had already been built, including 609 new social homes and 193 homes for sale.
Another 410 are under construction, another 133 are in tender for a contractor and 423 have planning permission in place.
Other measures outlined in the business plan include re-coating the council’s high-rise apartment building stock, repairing existing homes and improving and expanding community centres.
The council also plans to improve the insulation of its housing stock by using alternative energy heating, such as ground or air-source heat pumps, in future homes, as well as siding and solar panels for all low-rise buildings.
Older residents will be targeted under the plans with improved housing advice and a £100m fund to create 10 new community living buildings.
“This will help create around 500 new homes specifically for older tenants to ensure our population is aging well,” Ms Thorne added.
The Welsh Government announced last week that owners of second homes could be hit with a 200 per cent rise in council tax as part of plans to tackle the impact of long-term vacant homes, vacation rentals and housing affordability and availability.
The move follows confirmation of the Welsh Government’s spending plans outlined in its full budget, which included £310m in social housing subsidies in 2022-23, up from £250m this year.
The budget also confirmed plans to spend £330m on social housing subsidies in 2023-24 and £325m in 2024-25.
In addition to the social housing grant, the budget allocated £580m to decarbonise social housing in Wales until 2024-25.
Sign up for our Wales newsletter
