Newtown housing estate is in top UK 50

A Newtown housing estate has been named in the UK's top 50 affordable housing developments.

Heol Rhedyn in Vaynor was developed by Mid Wales Housing Association and opened last year.

This is the second award that the development has received in the past 12 months, receiving the prestigious Chartered Institute of Housing (Cymru) Development of the Year Award in November last year.

The eatate was officially opened in May last year by the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones AM, and provides 50 new affordable homes for local people ranging from one to five bedrooms and a mixture of traditional and intermediate rent.

The scheme complies with Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3+ and has achieved design standards of Lifetime Homes, Secured by Design, Welsh Government Design Quality Requirements and Welsh Housing Quality Standards.

The development was built by Wates Living Space and designed by Newtown based Hughes Architects.

Mid Wales Housing Association’s Director of Customer Services, Mr Aidan Ackerman said: “Whilst we are delighted to celebrate this prestigious award, the most important thing to us is that our tenants are living in homes that they, and we, can be proud of.

"We used Strategic Capital Investment Funding supplemented by grant from Powys County Council and completed the project within budget making us confident that we can continue to deliver good quality homes for people who need them in the future.  It sets the standard for future developments, which we will strive to improve on."

Martin Hilditch, Acting Editor of Inside Housing, said: "The developments that made this year’s top 50 will improve the lives of thousands of people across the UK. It’s been inspiring to see so much great work and to be able to shout about such impressive schemes. This really is the cream of the housing crop."

The judges were Janet Askew, vice president of the Royal Town Planning Institute, Steve Douglas, partner at Altair, Stuart Macdonald, former editor of Inside Housing, Susan Pasint-Magyar, director at Hunters, Sue Roberts, chair of the National Federation of ALMOs, Andy Rose, chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency and Steve Trusler, accommodation sector leader of Laing O’Rourke and a board member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.