02/08/23

The first modular units, part of an innovative pilot scheme to help tackle an immediate shortage of affordable housing in Cardiff, have arrived on site in Grangetown.

The two modular units are part of the initial phase that will be installed  on the former Gasworks site at Ferry Road  to create 155  pre-fabricated, highly energy-efficient properties to help alleviate pressures on homelessness services and the availability of temporary accommodation in the city.

With financial support from the Welsh Government's  Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme, the Council is working with development partner Wates to deliver the new homes, which  willprovide good quality, temporary housing for families close to the council's Yr Hafan family homelessness centre, which was also constructed using modular units.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: "Our  homelessness and housing services continue to experience exceptionally high demand for assistance. This innovative solution to the pressures we are facing enables us to boost our supply of accommodation quickly, in considerably less time than via traditional building methods.

"It's really pleasing to see the first units arriving on site. The development will gather pace over the coming weeks and we expect residents to be moving in around early October."

Wates Residential Regional Director, Edward Rees, said:" It has been very rewarding to see the arrival of the first units on site, as these represent more homes for people who are currently without a roof over their head or suffering in substandard accommodation. The modular system has given us all the ability to provide much needed temporary accommodation for those who desperately need it, in a much faster and more innovative way than traditional building methods.

"Thanks to the partnership with Cardiff Councill and their support for efficient solutions, the Gas Works site will eventually house 155 households. What's more, it can all be dismantled and rebuilt wherever the need arises."

The 155 new single-storey homes, a mixture ofone, two, three and four bedrooms, will be bright, spacious and highly energy-efficient, incorporating renewable technologies in line with the Council's One Planet strategy.

The units are being supplied by Daiwa House Modular, @Home - the company that supplied units for the Council's modular development at Crofts Street, and Beattie Passive, the supplier of units at Yr Hafan and the emergency accommodation at the Council's Single Assessment Centre in Riverside.

As part of its citywide housing development programme to deliver 4,000 new homes over the coming years, the Council has longer term plans to develop the wider Gasworks site to provide around 500 new homes, including council housing.

All the modular units that will be installed at the Gasworks site for temporary accommodation are demountable and can be moved to other areas of the city in response to future need.