What’s occurring

We’ve been busy over the last few months with a variety of projects. It’s welcome news that Housing and Regeneration Minister Rebecca Evans plans on reviewing Wales’ affordable housing provision. The review is intended to analyse the potential for increasing match funding as well as examining how partnerships between LAs and Housing Associations are currently working in practice.

Many of our longest standing contracts are with Housing Associations.
 
The report is of particular interest as we continue to advise Williams Homes in Bala and Wrexham, who are providing three social housing developments for Grŵp Cynefin Housing Association. Adam has been heavily involved in these contracts.
 
Community Housing Cymru’s response to the review announcement – that the current delivery rate will double to a minimum of 75,000 affordable homes in Wales over the next 20 years – represent a massive challenge to the industry and highlights the need to attract and develop talent to meet the demand. These plans are all in keeping with the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru’s November launch of ‘Housing Horizons’, a white paper outlining a vision to make good housing a basic right for all.

Elsewhere, we have been working at Ysgol Ardudwy in Harlech, which was subjected to roof damage during Storm Emma. We advised Gwynedd Council and their contractors on the strength of the existing building’s structure to allow access to sort out the roof.
 
Our Mold Office has been kept busy with planning a new industrial development in Flintshire, which is in the planning stages and is a preliminary concept. We have also received great news that we have secured another project with Magellan Aerospace.

We have been working with a local IT Consultant to switch all our systems to cloud-based, allowing us flexibility when working. We are currently trialling that and looking to move across very shortly.

We have been appointed for a 34-unit apartment development for Pennaf Housing Association in Colwyn Bay and have just had a ‘kick-off’ meeting with the Architect, John McCall of Liverpool. We have collaborated on projects before and recently completed a similar successful project with the team there at Maes Helyg in Deeside, which was also for Pennaf Housing.

Jac, a graduate, has just started with us and Alicia will be joining us on a student placement for the summer after recently finishing her first year of Civil Structural Engineering at Cardiff University. We are sure both will become very valuable additions to the team here.

DATRYS

Caernarfon: 01286 671027

Mold: 01352 706205

Email: info@datrys.coop

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