New council homes developed with funding

A housing development in a Swansea community is preparing to welcome new residents.The council is putting the finishing touches to a set of semi-detached bungalows at a site in West Cross known as the Circle.The latest council homes to be developed by Swansea Council are part of a wider plan to introduce such housing in the city and help tackle homelessness.The properties are being funded through a grant from the Welsh Government along with money collected through council rent fees.During the pandemic, the council secured more than £5.4m from the Welsh Government to provide up to 80 units in the city to tackle homelessness. Of this funding, £763,000 was used to develop the six new bungalows.Further funding from the Innovative Housing Programme (IHP) was invested in the houses so that they benefit from energy saving technology. This includes battery storage, ground source heating, thicker wall cavities and solar panelled roofs.The council’s Building Services team built the homes, helped along by a team of apprentices, who developed new skills in working with modern energy related construction methods.Recently, a special handover ceremony took place which helped mark the ending of the construction phase.Swansea Council leader, Cllr Rob Stewart, said: “It’s fantastic to see what’s been achieved at Cherry Blossom Lane, with the efforts by our own Building Services, who have almost completed the next generation of council homes.”Part of the new development at West Cross also includes the creation of a large boundary wall which circles the six properties. The wall has been created using stone, excavated from an earlier house building scheme in Clase.