Council-owned one-bedroom apartments to be built

Plans to build new council housing in Trecenydd and Trethomas has been approved by Caerphilly County Borough Council’s planning committee.

Six new one-bedroom apartments will be built on the site of the former 49 Club in Trecenydd, while 12 one-bedroom apartments will be built on Llanfabon Drive, Trethomas.

The 49 Club, on the Crescent, closed in 2009 and caught fire the same year.

The Welsh Government has awarded £3.1m towards the project through its Innovative Housing Programme.

The council has said the apartments will be built to Passivhaus standard – meaning it will have ‘very high’ levels of insulation, ‘airtight’ building fabric and and a mechanical heat ventilation system, as well as lower carbon emissions.

The council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, Councillor Lisa Phipps, described it as an “incredibly exciting step”.

She said: “Whilst these sites are small, they will deliver much needed one-bedroom accommodation that is currently desperately needed in the county borough. 

“Our approach to using local supply chains and innovative modern methods of construction will also enable us to deliver much wider benefits for the county borough, including tackling the issue of climate change and creating jobs and training opportunities for local people.”

The council has appointed contractors Willmott Dixon as its delivery partner, Penallta-based Caledan Ltd will supply the steel frames used in the constructions.

Caledan chief executive Chris Morton said: “Myself and the team at Caledan are very pleased to be involved with Caerphilly Council and Willmott Dixon in helping to provide both innovative and quality housing for the people of Caerphilly.

“The scheme will also support the local community in not just securing existing jobs but also in providing further employment opportunities.”

In December last year, the council announced council housing would be built in Aberbargoed – the first council housing to be built in the borough for nearly 20 years.

Six of the 55 homes being built on the site of the former Bedwellty Comprehensive School will become part of the council’s stock.

Plans for a further 46 homes on the playing fields next to the school site were green-lit by the council in September 2020. These are expected to include seven council-owned homes.