Latest news with #Trivallis
Wales Online
4 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Latest plans to transform what was once the biggest public sector housing scheme in Wales
Latest plans to transform what was once the biggest public sector housing scheme in Wales Trivallis expects to submit an application for 150 homes in Penrhys this month which are part of wider regeneration plans for the area (Image: WalesOnline/ Gayle Marsh ) An application for 150 houses as part of plans to regenerate what was once the largest public sector housing scheme in Wales could be submitted this month. Housing association Trivallis intends to submit a planning application in June for what they call phase 1A of the Penrhys regeneration proposals in the Rhondda which involves an area in the northwest of the site with this phase involving the construction of up to 150 new homes with a mix of affordable housing, including new homes for existing residents, and homes for sale with demolition of existing buildings in this area already underway. It is expected that an outline planning application for the development of the wider masterplan area will be submitted in early in 2026. A report to cabinet on Wednesday, June 11 also recommends that authority be given to the director of corporate estates to negotiate the sale and transfer of the land within the existing estate area that is currently in council ownership to Trivallis. It is also recommended that cabinet members agree that the council owned land to south is included in the wider masterplan now and also be transferred at an appropriate time. The Penrhys Estate was first developed in 1966 as a modern housing development and on opening in 1968 with 951 new homes was at the time the largest public sector housing scheme in Wales. Article continues below The report says that during the late 1970s and 1980s, for a range of reasons, the estate gained a poor reputation and has been in decline ever since but a strong, small community still exists in Penrhys. In 2007 the site transferred ownership from the council to RCT Homes, now Trivallis. As of today, there are around 230 tenanted homes left at the site, there are several streets where the housing condition is poor and current estimates show that a repair programme to acceptable standards is likely to be uneconomical. To get all the latest Rhondda news straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here. The report said that the 'high level of voids impacts adversely on the overall environment at the estate.' In 2021, cabinet agreed the principle of developing a regeneration plan for Penrhys and since then Trivallis has assembled a design team and has carried out site investigation work with a view to developing a site-wide masterplan that will feed into future planning applications. In March this year, cabinet received an update on the council's Sustainable Communities for Learning (SCfL) nine year rolling programme and the latest strategic outline programme which included approval for a new school at Penrhys to replace the poor quality existing buildings on the Penrhys Primary School site. The cabinet report said that the spend on the new school will act as 'a major facilitator in the wider regeneration aspirations for the site.' Trivallis has already held a series of engagement sessions with residents to explain their ideas and gather the views of the community and it is expected that these sessions will continue as plans develop. The report says that the council will also engage with the community as part of its normal process for developing the new school at the site. The regeneration of Penrhys is a key site in the development of the council's new local development plan (LDP) and the site is set to be included in the council's preferred strategy for the revised LDP and will be taken forward to the next stage of the preparation of the plan. The report said that Trivallis and their agents are currently in the process of procuring a development partner/housebuilder for the wider regeneration proposals and it is expected that the majority of the new homes will be advertised for sale on the open market with the remainder being offered as affordable housing and new homes for the existing community. The council still owns several parcels of land throughout the estate and the wider masterplan area, including a significant area of land to the south of the main roundabout. The report says: 'Taking a comprehensive and coherent approach to the development of the site should result in a successful and sustainable outcome and to this end it is considered that this will be best achieved with all the available land within the existing estate area sitting with Trivallis and their development partner. 'As such, it is recommended that this report gives authority to the director of corporate estates to negotiate the sale/transfer of the land within the existing estate area that is currently in council ownership to Trivallis, subject to our usual legal and financial procedures. 'It is also recommended that members agree to the council owned land to south being included in the wider masterplan now and also be transferred to Trivallis/developer at an appropriate time in the best interests of the council and the wider community.' On the new school, the council has carried out a feasibility and options appraisal to build the new school on the existing school site, and further work to take this project forward will happen over the next few months. It is currently expected that the planning process for the new school will start next year. The report said: 'Works will be developed in collaboration with the school and local community to make sure that this project remains at the heart of the wider regeneration proposals, making it a true community school. Article continues below
Wales Online
19-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Homeowners facing bills of £23,000 to deal with RAAC join call for national emergency fund
Homeowners facing bills of £23,000 to deal with RAAC join call for national emergency fund Dozens of properties in the Gower estate in Hirwaun were discovered to have RAAC with 14 of these being privately owned (Image: Wilson Chowdhry ) Homeowners facing bills of around £23,000 to deal with RAAC in their properties have joined calls for a national remediation fund and emergency government support. Residents in Hirwaun who own their properties which are affected by RAAC say they are being left to deal with the issue which was discovered in 77 homes on the Gower estate back in 2024 and at a recent meeting residents joined forces with the UK RAAC campaign group in calling for a national remediation fund and emergency government support. It's in a bid to prevent what the group calls a 'looming disaster that could see families bankrupted or made homeless'. Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is a lightweight building material used in housing between the 1950s and 1980s and it hit the headlines in 2023 structural issues were identified with it. Of the affected homes in Hirwaun 14 were purchased under the Right to Buy scheme and are now privately owned leaving owners facing five-figure repair bills without financial assistance, the group says. One resident said: 'We're stuck. We can't sell, we can't insure, we can't borrow, and we can't afford to fix the problem. We're being left behind.' Article continues below Campaigners are urging the public to back their petition to the UK Government, which demands a national remediation fund, a public inquiry into the handling of RAAC by councils and housing associations, and legal reforms to protect owners of affected homes. The petition must reach 10,000 signatures by June 17 to receive an official response from the government, the group says. To get all the latest on Welsh politics, health, education and more, sign up to our Wales Matters newsletter. A second petition aimed at the Welsh Government will also be launched specifically demanding financial support and long-term solutions for affected residents in Hirwaun. At the recent meeting residents discussed forming a constituted Welsh group aligned with the UK RAAC Campaign to maintain pressure on both the Welsh and UK Governments. They say the silence from mortgage lenders and insurance companies is exacerbating their fears with many now ineligible for standard insurance products and some fearing they may end up facing threats of repossession. Wilson Chowdhry, who is helping to coordinate the campaign, said: 'This is a national issue and needs a national response. If nothing changes people are going to lose their homes through no fault of their own.' The Welsh Government said: 'We recognise how difficult the situation is for all residents affected by RAAC in both private and social homes on the Gower estate in Hirwaun and the strain this is having on them. 'We are working closely with both the local authority and Trivallis to continue to monitor the situation and would strongly encourage all homeowners to undertake surveys to identify the extent of the RAAC within their homes before contacting Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council who stand ready to support them.' Building safety is devolved to the Welsh Government and a national remediation fund for homeowners affected by RAAC is not under consideration by the UK Government. Article continues below The UK Parliament petition can be seen here.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Huge block of flats where 93-year-old was living virtually alone is being torn down
A block of flats in Tonypandy are being torn down to make way for a new development. In 2023, Iris Ware, who moved in to Mitchell Court when it was built in the 1960s described the isolation she felt at being one of the last people living in the "dilapidated" and "derelict" looking building. Mitchell Court was already destined to be demolished at this time - there were asbestos signs, scaffolding and boarded up windows all over the building. Now all the asbestos has been removed, and the block of flats is being torn down. A planning application has been submitted by Asbri Planning on behalf of Trivallis Housing Association, which currently owns the building, but is yet to be approved. It could see the site transformed into a brand new residential development. Get the latest Rhondda news first by signing up to our newsletter here READ MORE: Shop worker found dead in bath was poisoned by alcohol READ MORE: Woman who says she's Madeleine McCann 'arrested at Bristol Airport' along with Welsh woman As well as Mitchell Court being demolished, the neighbouring former Children's Services Building and the old Con Club site are also being knocked down. Plans have been submitted for the area to be transformed into 17 new one-bedroom flats, 25 two-bedroom flats as well as eight semi-detached houses, which will be managed by Trivallis, one of Wales' largest registered social landlords, which provides homes in RCT. . The proposals also include plans to create 32 car parking spaces for the new residents and develop a new access road to the site. The planning application sets out designs to create open space and new green spaces for residents, as well as a brand new courtyard garden space. Responding to "misleading comments" online about who will get the homes, Trivallis said: "All homes will be allocated through the council's housing register, based on local need, following the usual process. These details were shared during the consultation."
