Wales to receive £35M fund for new homes

The Minister for Housing and Local Government announced a £35M fund to build innovative new homes in Wales.

Minister Julie James visited Swansea Council’s Colliers Way development to announce the funding which will create energy efficient affordable new homes. The funding comes from the Innovative Housing Project which encourages modern cost-effective homes.

The new homes – built to Passivhaus standards – will feature battery technology, solar panels, air source heat pumps, and modern insulation. It is hoped they will have lower fuel costs and be more environmentally friendly than traditional homes.

Cllr Andrea Lewis, Cabinet Member for Homes & Energy at Swansea Council, said:  “The availability of the funding through the Innovative Housing Programme has enabled Swansea Council to develop modern high-quality accommodation for our tenants in the city.”

“We have recently approved further plans to create even more housing in the city with a number of schemes that will be developed as ‘homes as power stations’ – this has given us the opportunity to explore ways of using available modern technology that will enable each home to generate its own energy.”

Julie James has said that social housing providers can apply for a share of the £35M funding and highlighted the need for new residential building projects to actively tackle climate change. Affordable housing is also a big priority for the government, innovative renewable energy in homes reduces bills and helps tackle fuel poverty.

Current projects include ‘active homes’ being constructed in Neath by Pobl group and Tŷ Solar building in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. Tŷ Solar is building homes using locally sourced timber and powered by solar panels.

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