A resident who has just moved into his new flat in Old Cwmbran has said: “You’ll never know what it means to me.”
Peter Brimble is a new tenant at the block of 13 flats on Victoria Street. He said: “This flat is fabulous and the space works so well for me. Being here has given me independence. You’ll never know what it means to me.”
The homes, which stand on the site of a former office building and toilet block, were built by Bron Afon in partnership with local firm WK Plasterers. The development is made up of two two-bed flats and 11 one-bed flats for rent. Two have been adapted for residents living with a disability.
A total of £1.4m came from Welsh Government’s Social Housing Grant supported by Torfaen Council to build the homes.
Hayley Ralph, another resident, said, “There’s a real sense of community around here already. I’m so happy. It’s made a complete difference to me.”
Gary Colston, group head of regeneration and development at Bron Afon, said: “We’re proud to have worked on this development with our partners to provide more homes for
people in our communities.
“It marks a first for us in that we switched from fossil fuel boilers to installing infra-red panel heating and an air source hot water cylinder in every flat to reduce
carbon usage and impact on the environment. It’s also good news for our customers because it could potentially mean lower energy bills for them.”
Alan Brunt, Bron Afon’s chief executive, said, “It was such a pleasure to meet Peter and Hayley and to hear how well they are settling into their new homes. We want to be part of the long-term solution to the housing crisis. The build at Victoria Street is a great example of the kind of high-quality, sustainable and energy-efficient homes we are committed to creating over the next five years as part of our corporate strategy. It’s also in line with our own commitments and Welsh Government’s targets for decarbonisation.
“I would like to thank WK Plasterers for working so well with us and our partners at Welsh Government and Torfaen Council for their support.”
