Back
Affordable housing, safe communities

 

Delivering quality homes in safe, connected communities with joined-up customer services is at the heart of Cardiff Council's housing plans for 2019/20.

 

As the development of new Council homes gathers pace in the city, Cabinet will consider the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) business plan for 2019/20 at its next meeting on Thursday, March 21.

 

The plan gives an overview of the authority's housing development plans and its progress in achieving the target of 2,000 new council homes for the city, at least 1,000 of which will be completed by 2022.

 

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: "Having a good, quality home where people feel safe and connected is essential and we know how important that is for the health and wellbeing of our communities.

 

"Our developments currently represent the largest council house building programme in Wales and will see around £350m invested into delivering new council homes over the next few years.  With other exciting and innovative schemes for addressing housing need also in the pipeline, we are making very good progress towards our target of 2,000 new homes."

 

As well as an update on the Council's flagship development scheme, Cardiff Living, the plan outlines how the Council is delivering new housing through other methods including an additional build programme that currently includes 22 sites. There is also a real focus on delivering new independent living ‘care ready' schemes, which offer quality, flexible homes for older people in the city.

 

The plan includes the exciting redevelopment proposals for the Channel View estate in Grangetown, plans for estate regeneration to create better and safer places to live, an update on how the Council is maintaining compliance with the Welsh Housing Quality Standard as well as how the authority is responding to the growing issue of homelessness in the city.

 

Support for people to live independently and help to access services in community hubs is another key theme of the business plan. The Council's Independent Living Services supports residents to live as independently as possible, advising about services, equipment and adaptations to their homes as well as providing options to help prevent social isolation, for example, via the wide range of events and activities at community hubs.

 

Around 2.5m people visited hubs and libraries in Cardiff in 2018 and the business plan outlines  how these facilities are having a beneficial impact in their local areas by providing better customer services through investment in high quality community buildings.

 

Cllr Thorne added: "Our network of community hubs in priority neighbourhoods across the city is extremely successful, providing a wide range of services and improved facilities for local people. They are ‘hubs' in the truest sense, proving a real focal point for communities where people can come together to access services but also to take part in social activities that can benefit their overall wellbeing.

 

"Our Into Work advice service, and money advice team have a great track record of assisting customers in all of our hubs, whether it be employment support or help to mitigate the impact of welfare reform on individuals. A range of support is available, not just for those claiming benefits and out of work, but for anyone who might be struggling financially and needs some advice on things like budgeting, debt advice and how to maximise their income.

 

"St Mellons Hub is the latest new hub and by providing services all under one roof in this area, it's fantastic that we have been able to release two surplus sites to develop more affordable housing."