Work starts on smart homes scheme that will give £60m boost to north Wales economy

Work is about to start on a major housing development of high-tech homes that will provide a £60 million boost to the North Wales economy.

The  Maes y Felin scheme in Glan Conwy, close to the A55, will see the construction of 107 energy efficient properties  with high speed broadband, making them ideal for working from home.

The developer is Calon Homes, a subsidiary of housing association Cartrefi Conwy and community interest company Creating Enterprise.

The main contractor for the project is Mochdre-based Brenig Construction who are due to start work preparing the site for the development which is expected to support 500 jobs.

Calon Homes have already completed preliminary and investigatory works including wildlife and archaeological surveys in order to discharge relevant planning conditions.

It’s expected that 95 per cent of the people employed on the scheme, supported by the Development Bank of Wales, will be from within a 20 mile radius of the 13-acre site.

The community-conscious company have also committed to training local apprentices and to use local suppliers wherever possible.

The development will comprise two, three and four-bedroom properties and 33 of them will be affordable family homes.

Development

Brenig Development Director Bryn Roberts is overseeing the project and he has 25 years’ experience in residential development.

He said: “We have worked closely with Conwy County Council throughout the process to ensure minimum disruption to local traffic flows while the roadworks take place.

“This is a flagship development for us and it is important to us that projects like Maes y Felin provide not only much-needed local housing but also employment and training opportunities in the community as well as benefiting the economy of North Wales.

“A key element for Calon and ourselves will be to ensure local labour is used to build these homes and there will be apprenticeships for those wanting to enter the construction industry.

“We want to build very high quality, energy efficient and innovative homes, embracing smart technology so we can ensure these houses are fit for purpose and future proofed

“All of this technology will be provided as part of the standard specification and not as costly optional extras.

“That’s ideal for the growing number of people who are choosing to work from home these days.

“It’s a trend that has accelerated as the result of the pandemic and it’s seems certain that far more people will be working from home in future, either all the time or splitting their time between remote working and going into the office.”

Calon

Cartrefi Conwy Chief Executive Andrew Bowden said: “We chose the name Calon Homes with great care because we want the sense of community to be at the heart of everything we done.

“There is a shortage of housing in North Wales, particularly affordable housing, and we believe that this is an innovative solution to that problem.

“It means we can use the revenues from the profits on this scheme to create more homes that local people can afford, not just in Conwy but across North Wales.

“While we have experience in development, we also needed a builder to partner with us and Brenig Construction who share our values, bring the necessary expertise and are well known to us through various contracts over the last four years.”

“They are a local SME from the heart of Conwy who employ a lot of local labour, they use a local supply chain and share the same vision and values as Creating Enterprise and Cartrefi Conwy.”

For more details about the Maes y Felin properties email [email protected]