County Flats is Tai Tarian’s most ambitious development to date and will see the transformation of 72 existing flats as well as the creation of 55 new homes.
The Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, recently visited the site in Port Talbot: “County Flats is really something special and I’d like to see more ambitious developments like this delivering good quality, low carbon housing and creating more opportunities for families and individuals.
“It’s a fantastic example of how we’re supporting the decarbonisation of homes across Wales by not only building new homes but upgrading existing housing stock.”
The existing flats have been upgraded through the Optimised Retrofit Programme with a series of energy efficient features, including thermal upgrades, solar panels, insulation and double-glazed windows.
The new build properties will benefit from energy efficient installations, including Air Source Heat Pumps, a system that absorbs heat from the outside air and uses it to heat the homes and hot water.
Like all new builds in Wales, the homes will comply with Welsh Development Quality Requirements (WDQR) 2021 as well as Lifetime Home Standards, ensuring that the homes are modern, energy efficient and affordable.
Funding from the Social Housing Grant has been provided to build 55 social homes on the site that will contribute towards the Welsh Government’s target of delivering 20,000 new low carbon homes for rent in the social sector this Senedd term.
In total, more than £12m in funding has been provided by the Welsh Government to support the development of both the existing and the new homes.
The Cabinet Secretary continued: “I recently announced the launch of our Green Homes Wales pilot scheme, which is another exciting step we’re taking to help homeowners make green and energy-efficient choices, improving the long-term quality and comfort of their homes.”
As part of the scheme, homeowners can receive funding to get specialist advice from a retrofit co-ordinator to help decide which type of decarbonisation technology works for their home.
They will also be supported to access existing funding schemes such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and targeted grant funding to encourage them to take green measures.
