New council houses for Newtown

The properties, which include a range of two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes, will be built on the former Red Dragon public house and Maesyrhandir Youth Centre site in the town and is expected to be completed by May 2022.

Costing £3.5m, the project is part of the council’s ambitious target of building 250 new homes by 2025, a key priority of its Vision 2025 Corporate Improvement Plan.

Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Iain McIntosh said; “The county council is making real progress with its ambitious target of delivering 250 new homes by 2025, the latest development will take our tally to 118 dwellings under construction.

“The investment is not only good news for those seeking a home, it provides a boost for the local economy with local sub-contractors and supply chain being supported by the work.”

The contract for the work has been awarded to RLD Construction from Colwyn Bay who will be building 18 highly efficient energy performing dwellings, including one three-bed bungalow, 11 two-bed houses, three thee-bed houses, two four-bed houses and one five-bed house.

A ‘fabric first’ approach has been taken to ensure the homes are well insulated, cost effective to run, and use materials which have more environmentally friendly credentials than that offered by traditional forms of construction.

The dwellings will be built using timber frame, wood fibre insulation to the walls, brick and render outer skin and slate roofs. Heating and hot water will be provided using air source heat pumps, which is much better for the environment than gas heating.

Two of the dwellings have been specifically designed to cater for families with specific needs who qualify for being accommodated at this development.

Ecological issues have been addressed with a sustainable urban drainage system being designed for the scheme and the scheme will include a ‘bat loft’ for roosting bats, which are found at this location.