July 1

Shipping containers which will be used as temporary accommodation for homeless families have now been delivered to Bute Street.

The fabricated shipping containers are on the former PDSA site in Bute street and will be transformed to provide temporary homes for families until a more permanent suitable housing solution can be found.

A total of 20 shipping containers have been delivered and erected over a period of four days. They will make up seven two-bedroom flats and six one-bedroom flats over two storeys.

The scheme is jointly funded by Cardiff Council and Welsh Government's Innovative Housing Programme. Cadwyn Housing Association are developing the scheme on behalf of Cardiff Council and working alongside Tony King Architects, Willis Construction and Lion Containers.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said:

"It's great to see this innovative scheme come to fruition. Helping people experiencing homelessness is a priority for the Council and there are hundreds of families in the city who unfortunately find themselves homeless. The shipping containers will provide good quality temporary accommodation for families while they wait for a permanent housing solution."

The containers will be fixed to concrete pads which means they can be moved easily to an alternative location in the future, either all together or in smaller groups to different sites.

Once all the containers are in place, there will be a 20-week fit out programme which will be carried out by Willis Construction. Cadwyn are also offering a 10-week training and skills programme to local people which will involve assisting with the fit out of one of the containers.

Kath Williams, Development and Construction Training Coordinator for Cadwyn Housing said:

"Investing in the community is a really important part of this project so we will be running a 10-week construction and skills training programme with Willis Construction and Into Work Services to enable local people to get involved on site fitting out one of the containers. As part of this programme they will have the opportunity to take part in construction related training sessions as well as employability skills training sessions."

The homes will all be constructed to the same building standards and specification as traditionally constructed affordable housing. They will have the same comforts of a conventional home to support the health and wellbeing of residents and will be sensitively and intelligently designed to maximise the use of space.

Each home will benefit from solar PV with the benefits fed back directly to residents, a sprinkler system, and private and communal amenity space for residents to enjoy. The two-bed units will have direct access to a fenced garden so children have a safe space to play and the first-floor one-bed units will all have a roof terrace and a front door.