Minister for Housing and Local Government, Julie James AM, has today seen first-hand how Cardiff Council's ambitious Council house construction scheme is getting delivered, contributing towards national targets to deliver more affordable housing across Wales. 

The Council has plans in place to deliver over 2,000 much-needed new council homes, in the most ambitious scheme the city has seen in 40 years. The first 1,000 are on course to be built by 2022.  Welsh Government has set a target of constructing 20,000 affordable homes by the end of the Assembly term in 2021 and the Minister saw today how Cardiff's innovative house-building scheme, Cardiff Living, is progressing on a visit to new homes in Llanrumney. 

The Cardiff Living Scheme sees the Council working in partnership with Wates Residential and is set to deliver a mix of private homes for sale on the open market and affordable homes that will be owned and managed by the authority for social housing. The scheme is set to deliver 1,500 new homes, at least 600 of which will be council homes, at a number of sites across the city. 

Council Leader, Cllr Huw Thomas and Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, welcomed the Minister to Captain's View at Braunton Crescent, Llanrumney today to showcase a fully accessible ground floor show flat at the new mixed-tenure site. 

Cllr Thomas said: "Having become the first Council to fully meet the Welsh Housing Quality Standard, my administration is now delivering the biggest Council house building programme we have seen in the city in decades. I believe that access to good housing is a basic human right, and the Council is now playing a huge role in delivering this for our citizens, using innovative partnerships, including with Welsh Government, private sector companies like Wates Residential, and others. 

"The new properties at Captain's View are looking fantastic and the first tenants will be moving into enjoy their new homes very soon so I'm delighted we have been able to showcase the scheme to the Minister today." 

Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: "I am extremely proud of our Cardiff Living homes and the work being done by our housing development team to ensure Cardiff steps up to the plate to increase the amount of quality, affordable housing to meet the high demand in the city, and thereby contributing to Welsh Government's own ambitious targets for new homes. 

"All of the homes built through Cardiff Living will meet high levels of sustainability and energy efficiency to help tackle fuel poverty as well as, importantly, being built to Lifetime Homes standards to support the changing needs of individuals and families at different stages of life." 

Housing and Local Government Minister Julie James said: "Building more affordable housing and providing people with safe, warm and secure homes is a key priority for the Welsh Government. I am very keen to see new council house building at a pace and scale not seen for decades, and Cardiff Council are taking the right steps to help achieve this. I'm pleased to see the homes I've seen today support people with different needs and will help to address fuel poverty locally." 

The Minister also saw the Silvervale Park Cardiff Living development in St Mellons where 187 homes, including 58 council properties are being built and are set for completion by next summer. 

The Cardiff Living scheme forms a part of the Council's target for 1,000 new council homes in the city by 2022 and 2,000 homes in total in the following years. To achieve these targets, the Council is buying property from the open market, converting existing buildings into housing, using innovative housing solutions such as off-site modular systems and entering into package deals whereby new properties are bought straight from a developer. 

A tour of St Mellons Hub, which opened in August last year following refurbishment and extension to create the city's newest one-stop-shop for council and partner services, was also part of today's visit. The £3million project benefited from a grant under the Welsh Government's Regeneration Capital Programme. 

The integrated facility provides joined-up customer services from a high quality modern building, incorporating an extended library, IT provision, community café and kitchen, advice and interview rooms, a youth den, child-care provision, multi-use rooms and a large community hall and changing rooms.  

Customers can access housing, benefit and advice services, free internet and Wi-Fi access, free phones to contact Council and other services and Into Work Advice and training, as well as a full programme of community activities.