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Work to build 16 energy-efficient flats has begun in Crosskeys on the site of the former St Catherine’s Church.

Caerphilly-based housing association United Welsh is behind the Gladstone Street development, working with Caerphilly County Borough Council and the Welsh Government.

Planning permission was originally turned down by Caerphilly County Borough Council in January 2023 over car parking concerns, but was subsequently approved on appeal.

The church building closed in December 2017 and it is not a listed building, therefore it’s not protected. Before its closure, the church was used as a community centre.

The new flats are being built using factory-made timber frames from United Welsh’s social enterprise Celtic Offsite.

Working from its 28,000 sq ft factory on Pontygwindy Industrial Estate, Caerphilly, the not-for-profit company makes new homes complete with insulation and fitted windows.

The frames are then shipped to building sites for final construction.

United Welsh has recently helped launch a new ‘pattern book’ of housing designs, using pre-made timber frames, with 22 other social landlords in Wales.

The collection, from the ‘Tai ar y Cyd‘ project, includes layouts for 15 house types and 18 variants ranging from one-bedroom flats and four-bedroom houses, to fully wheelchair-accessible bungalows and flats.

The benefits of the new pattern book, according to Tai ar y Cyd, include higher quality homes, economic regeneration, faster construction, use of low-carbon materials, fixed costs, reduced waste, and less disruption to communities.

Wales’ Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, recently visited the Celtic Offsite factory, to see the process for herself.

She said: “Tai ar y Cyd represents a significant step forward in our commitment to building sustainable and affordable homes here in Wales.  

“We know that there is a real need for good quality and energy efficient homes across our communities and this innovative pattern book give developers the tools they need to build homes more quickly and deliver against our target of building 20,000 affordable low-carbon homes by the end of this Senedd term. 

“I am proud that we have been able to support the delivery of these resources to support our local economies, grow the number of skilled jobs across Wales and increase the number of affordable homes.”

Richard Mann, Group Chief Executive of United Welsh said: “The standardised housing designs from Tai ar y Cyd will enable us to be more efficient in our manufacturing processes, so we can build more homes at a faster rate for housing associations and local authority partners.

“We look forward to using the designs to build more much-needed homes for people to enjoy across Wales.”

United Welsh’s recent 31-home Cwrt y Rhos development in Bedwas was also built using the factory-made timber frame technique.