The standardised social housing incorporates low cost and energy efficient designs
Tai ar y Cyd, the Welsh social landlord alliance, is comprised of 23 social landlords.
Their standardised social housing appears in a document, with layouts for 15 types of houses and 18 variants.
The standardised social housing types are fit for various purposes
The book is due to be unveiled on 15 January at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea campus. Ahead of the launch, Jayne Bryant, the cabinet secretary for housing and local government, 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.”
The layouts range from single-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses, and there are other types, including wheelchair-accessible bungalows or flats.
The document also promotes the use of sustainable and natural materials, such as timber. This will lead to higher quality homes, economic regeneration, faster construction, use of low-carbon materials, cost certainty, reduced waste, and a decrease of community disruption.
The homes are all designed to meet the Welsh Development Quality Requirements and Welsh Housing Quality Standards.
The Welsh social landlord alliance’s document comes amid a housing crisis
Late last year, the Welsh Senedd released a report, Social Housing Supply, recommending the increase of social housing supply.
Evidence from various stakeholders and cabinet members showed a demand for social housing far higher than supply, with 13,539 households deemed homeless, and 11,384 people in temporary accommodation.
The waiting list reached 139,000 people in October 2023.
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 association and local authority partners.
“We look forward to using the designs to build more much-needed homes for people to enjoy across Wales.”
