Pobl Group has climbed two places in the Inside Housing Top 50 Biggest Builders development survey, securing the 40th spot, demonstrating the contribution Welsh housing associations are making on the UK scene.
The annual report from the influential trade publication charts how many homes housing associations in the UK are building.
The Group has achieved impressive milestones across the time covered by the latest report, completing a much needed 462 homes across various tenures during the 2023-24 period, a notable 27% increase from the previous year.
Significantly, Pobl is ranked 9th in the whole of the UK for social rent completions with 268 homes, underscoring the Group’s commitment to tackling the shortage of quality affordable housing across Wales.
Homes Completed by Pobl in 2023-24:
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268 homes for social rent
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6 homes for intermediate rent
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122 homes for low-cost home ownership, primarily through shared ownership
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66 homes for open market sale
The total investment in creating these homes amounted to £117.7 million, a sharp increase on the previous year’s sum of £69.8million, including a total government grant of almost £51 million (£26.7m in 22/23).
Future Prospects and Ambitious Plans
The future looks bright for Pobl Group following the merger with Linc Cymru in April, uniting two of Wales’s leading Registered Social Landlords. The newly expanded Group will significantly enhance the provision of social housing, and care and support services across Wales, and the Group’s increased capacity post-merger is reflected in a rise to 25th place in the UK for properties in the pipeline.
Ambitious plans include delivering 689 homes in 2024-25 and a total of close to 4,500 much needed new homes over the next five years.
Upcoming Developments delivering new homes in 2024-25:
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Bank House, Newport: the final phase of 85 homes of a 215-home development on the banks of the River Usk, including 1 bed flats, and 2 and 3 bed homes.
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Woodland Grove, Swansea: 99 homes with a mix of 1 bed apartments, 2, 3 and 4 bed houses in a beautiful woodland setting in Gowerton.
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Winston Osborne House, Caerphilly: Conversion of a care home into 8 self-contained supported apartments.
Longer term pipeline projects:
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Hendy Quarry, Rhondda Cynon Taf: Up to 400 homes as part of a new low-carbon neighbourhood near Pontyclun.
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Augustus Grange, Haverfordwest: Phase 1 will deliver 115 new homes, offering a mix of one, two, three, and four-bedroom options. An additional 100 homes are planned for Phase 2, with future phases potentially delivering between 500 and 700 homes.
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Zanzibar, Newport: Transformation of the Grade II listed former nightclub into 37 apartments for rent.
Pobl Group is actively collaborating with the Welsh Government and local authorities to overcome obstacles in homebuilding, with a strategic focus on acquiring prime development sites that integrate well into communities across South Wales. These initiatives reaffirm Pobl Group’s commitment to meeting the growing demand for affordable housing, enriching communities throughout Wales, and paving the way for a brighter future.
Scott Sanders, CEO, Pobl Group, said:
“This is an exciting time for Pobl Group post-merger and the figures in the Biggest Builders survey underline the enormous potential we have as an expanded Group to create a fresh outlook and ambition aligned to the needs of communities across Wales. We are committed to delivering social, economic, and environmental benefits through listening to and working with local communities, to ensure our developments fit the unique priorities of each area. Creating new partnerships with like-minded businesses will be an important part of our future.
“Our goal is to be Large and Local, the scale of the Group enabling us to build more of the quality affordable homes that Wales desperately needs.”
Neil Barber, Executive Director Property & Investment, Pobl Group added:
We are passionate about creating mixed tenure communities where people want to live. We are immensely proud of the results of this year’s Inside Housing Biggest Builder report, and we want to give huge credit to Welsh Government and our local authority partners for their support. We are also really pleased with the impact our investment makes throughout the local supply chain and community. We are currently working with over 30 different contractors and housebuilders in the delivery of our new homes programme, over 75% of which are indigenous Welsh companies.
“It remains a challenging operating environment and the role of organisations such as ours is more important than ever. The new, expanded Group is perfectly placed to make the difference our customers want. With the continued support of Welsh Government, our local authority and supply chain partners, and our exceptional colleagues, we are excited about how we can continue to deliver close to 4,500 new homes across the next five years.”
