Cardiff Council has agreed in principle to acquire 30 new flats for older people in Wyndham Crescent, Riverside, as part of its ambitious plan to create 4,000 new homes across the city.
The development will be built by a private developer on the site of the former Seel and Co building, near the junction with Cowbridge Road East, and once complete the flats sold to the council. The development will comprise 30 one-bed apartments spread over three storeys. They will all have access to a private outdoor space and are in a highly sustainable location with direct access to a wide range of local facilities, public transport and close to the city centre.
Welcoming the plan, the Council’s Cabinet member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: “These flats form a key part of our exciting programme which will deliver 4,000 council homes across the city.
“What’s more, they are being built in an area of Cardiff where there is a very high demand for council homes but where we have limited opportunities to build ourselves.”
So far, the Council’s new-build programme has delivered 806 properties, including 613 council homes and 193 homes for sale. A further 522 are currently being built on site, 506 have planning consent in place and a further 1,729 homes are in the pipeline.
The programme currently includes 59 confirmed sites which combined have the capability of delivering around 3,600 new homes in total but new sites are also being assessed to ensure the 4,000 new homes target can be achieved in the longer term.
The homes at Wyndham Crescent will be built by Ventura Properties Ltd under a ‘package deal’ scheme, whereby the developer acquires the land, seeks planning permission, undertakes all the work and, when the homes are built to the required standard, sells them to the council.
This type of property acquisition is one of a number of delivery routes the council is undertaking in order to increase the supply of high-quality affordable homes.
The Council’s Cabinet will consider the proposals at a meeting next Thursday.
