Pobl Group are celebrating after exceeding the ambitious target of creating 3,000 new homes in the five years to 2021.
The target was set at the time of the Group’s formation in 2016 and, despite the unforeseen challenges thrown up by the Coronavirus pandemic, they have created an impressive 3,368 much needed new homes.
Ground-breaking developments such as Loftus Garden Village (Newport) and Parc Eirin (Tonyrefail) have seen the construction of high-quality new homes in beautiful surroundings, demonstrating Pobl’s commitment to placemaking and to providing homes that are genuinely sustainable and that will stand the test of time.
Meanwhile, the Group’s innovative approach is further evidenced through schemes such as Biophilic Living (Swansea) and Gwynfaen (Penyrheol) which will become the benchmark for low carbon living.
A not-for-profit organisation with almost half a century of creating affordable homes, Pobl is Wales’ largest social housing provider, managing more than 17,500 homes across South Wales and employing over 2,000 people.
Amanda Davies, Chief Executive of Pobl Group, reflected:
“Pobl Group was formed in 2016 from a merger between Seren and Gwalia. We wanted to be able to demonstrate that what we could deliver as Pobl Group would be so much more than what the two organisations could have done on their own. What better way to do this than to set ourselves a target to double our home development programme?
“We’re delighted to have delivered such a large number of new homes, but it’s much more than just a numbers game: at Pobl, our approach has placemaking at its heart, and we have created high-quality homes where people are proud to live, in vibrant mixed-tenure communities. The numbers speak for themselves, but the legacy of what we have achieved is the most important thing for us as an organisation.”
Neil Barber, Executive Director – Commercial, Pobl Group, added:
“Setting this target was a huge statement of intent. It felt really important that the development of new homes to help to tackle the housing crisis was being seen as such a key part of the group coming together, and we had confidence in our ability to deliver placemaking at scale.”
“I’m proud of the impact that we have had: not just in providing homes for those that need them, but also in helping to transform areas, and that our investment has had such a positive benefit for the Welsh economy, as we have tried wherever possible to use local trades and suppliers.”
By the end of March 2021 2,233 of the homes will have been completed with the balance going through the construction process.
Setting their ambitions for the future, Pobl have set themselves an even bigger challenge: their new target is to create another 10,000 new homes by 2031, and to become a carbon neutral business by 2050.
Amanda does not under-estimate the scale of the challenge ahead:
“We’ve learnt a lot over the last five years and know more now about what our customers value. I’m really confident that we have the skills and the talent that we need within Pobl to take this next step on our journey, and that our collaborative approach to working in partnership with the Welsh Government, local authorities and commercial developers will help us get there.”
