Last year provided a bumper crop of new homes for Syniad consortium member Wales & West Housing Association (WWHA)

WWHA has approximately 9,000 properties, providing a home for over 25,000 people. The organisation is the largest housing association in Wales, where it has been providing homes since 1965. Employing more than 300 staff, it works with 16 local authorities, with an office in the north of the country and its head office situated in Cardiff.

The organisation is celebrating significant successes achieved by its development programme, with 2007 seeing the highest number of new homes completed and additions to its land bank for a number of years.

During the course of the year, WWHA added 86 new homes to its stock. This represented a massive increase on the 2006 total of 23. In addition, the new sites the organisation has purchased will, when developed, add a further 60 homes.

While most of the new properties were built on sites owned by WWHA in Cardiff and Bridgend, the organisation has also maintained its strong partnerships with local authorities and purchased two existing dwellings in Powys to help families with specific needs.

Apart from providing a full range of rented homes, housing choice was broadened through the purchase of six newly built houses from a private house builder. These are to be sold on a shared equity basis to eligible individuals for 70 per cent of the market value with WWHA initially retaining the other 30 per cent.

This year is set to continue as a dynamic time for WWHA, with an even bigger programme to deliver and additional land purchases planned. Work will either be ongoing or begin on the development of at least 100 homes in Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Powys, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham; eight of the nine local authority areas that it is zoned for development by the Welsh Assembly.

These developments will include wheelchair accessible properties, supported housing and general family housing for rent and shared equity sales. In addition, housing choice will be further broadened with the site commencement of the Association's first extra care scheme for older persons which will be located in Prestatyn, Denbighshire and provide 61 apartments.

Anne Hinchey, Chief Executive of WWHA, said: “This is an exciting time for us. Our range of new build opportunities is expanding with Extra Care schemes being featured and more emphasis being placed on helping people to buy a home. We are looking forward to continuing this work in 2008."

WWHA is also proud of its approach to sustainable development. The organisation is developing an estate of 60 homes in Cardiff designed to achieve an EcoHomes excellent rating, two levels above the minimum standard currently required by the Welsh Assembly. This is a pilot project with the assembly and will inform its aspirations of achieving zero carbon development by 2011.

The RSL partnered with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the Welsh School of Architecture to design two developments using innovative modern methods of construction in place of traditional bricks and block construction. The schemes will be built during 2008 and will result in homes with minimal running costs to the residents.

Again working with the BRE, and also the Waste and Resource Action Programme and one of its contractor partners, WWHA sought to maximise the use of recycled material and reduce construction waste going to landfill on two of its developments in Bridgend. The
developments are being featured as demonstration projects and will become examples of good practice.