£5m to help bolster Wales’ housing needs
£5m i roi hwb i anghenion tai yng Nghymru
The availability of affordable and social housing in Wales has received a boost thanks to the Welsh Government’s Land Release Fund (LRF).
The £5m fund, which has been designed to accelerate the availability of unused public sector land for the development of much-needed social and affordable housing, has supported seventeen projects this year. The successful projects are all delivering small scale, low carbon developments through the use of modern and innovative technologies.
Projects include:
- developing land for 18 affordable and social homes in Carmarthenshire.
- the purchase of empty property in Ceredigion for conversion into social homes.
- the demolition of a former industrial site in Swansea to build 15 affordable and social homes.
- preparing land for 26 affordable homes in Anglesey.
- delivering independent community accommodation for people with learning difficulties in Blaenau Gwent.
Finance Minister Rebecca Evans said:
“Providing more social housing continues to be a top priority for the Welsh Government.
“The Land Release Fund has enabled us to accelerate our response to Wales’ housing needs, by providing the necessary funding to release undeveloped public land and build more affordable and social housing.
“The fund is also helping to provide a much-needed boost to the economy, in particular the construction industry and its associated supply chains.”
The Land Release Fund will continue to support additional projects next year with the Finance Minister committing a £10m funding pot as part of the 2021-22 Final Budget.
Notes to editors
Case Study – Brynmawr Health Clinic
The former Brynmawr health clinic in Blaenau Gwent has stood empty for a number of years.
Thanks to funding from the Welsh Government’s Land Release Fund this building has now been demolished to make way for a small development of supported housing accommodation.
The project, which is being delivered in partnership with the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, Blaenau Gwent Local Authority, United Welsh and the Welsh Government’s Integrated Care Fund, will deliver five assisted living units with communal living spaces for people with learning support needs. The accommodation will help residents to live independently within the community, providing access to learning, well-being facilities and additional support if needed.
Richard Mann, Deputy Chief Executive of United Welsh said:
“The Covid-19 pandemic has really emphasised the importance of our homes as a foundation for a safe, happy life.
“Developing more high quality, affordable homes for people who most need them remains a top priority for United Welsh, and we are delighted that the support from the Welsh Government Land Release Fund and Integrated Care Fund has made it possible for us to bring more homes to Brynmawr with our partners.
“The new homes will be life-changing for residents and we look forward to continuing our work with Welsh Government, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Blaenau Gwent Council as the development progresses.”
Additional information:
The Welsh Government’s Land Division was established in September 2019 to further enhance the government’s mission to increase the number of new homes built across Wales. The Division promotes joint working between public sector bodies to unlock the potential of public land for development. The Division has taken over responsibility for a number of Welsh Government owned sites which will be promoted to support the delivery of wider government priorities – including using the unused assets to help deliver more social and affordable housing in Wales.
The Land Division is responsible for the implementation of the Land Release Fund which is a targeted capital driven regeneration programme that focuses on freeing up public land where development has stalled. It is intended to enable public bodies to overcome barriers to development i.e. bridge the ‘viability gap’ and advance change.
The scheme is primarily intended to support the ambition for small scale, energy efficient, low carbon developments looking to unlock schemes that will use modern methods of construction, innovative technologies delivered at pace.