City centre ‘living building’ scheme set for late summer finish

A new video, shot by Calan Films on behalf of the Welsh Government, shows the considerable progress that’s being made on site at the former Woolworths building and a new adjoining 13-storey tower.

Located between Oxford Street and The Kingsway, the scheme is being led by Hacer Developments.

The development includes an urban-style greenhouse set over four floors, an education facility featuring an aquaponic system along with rooftop gardens, wildflower boarders and green spaces

Nine floors of apartments are to be managed by housing association, Pobl with close to 32,000 square feet of commercial floor space for businesses and retail.

The eco-development also features a landscaped courtyard and a bio-solar roof with ambient loop heating and sustainable drainage systems.

Once complete, the development will accommodate up to 500 people, thanks to the jobs and homes it will create. It’ll be powered by solar energy and an air source heat system.

Carwyn Davies, Managing Director of Hacer Developments, said: “These are unprecedented times for Swansea city centre with so much funding being invested by the council, the Welsh Government and the private sector.

“This is important because city centres now need more people living and working there to create the numbers needed to support city centre businesses and encourage more shops and other businesses to open up in future.

“Our scheme is aimed at creating a new way of urban working and living – one that connects residents and workers to nature. This has been proven to benefit health and happiness.

“The building will also be powered in a renewable way that will help cut Swansea’s carbon footprint and fight climate change.”

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “Swansea’s £1bn transformation is continuing at pace to create more jobs for local people, support local businesses and raise Swansea’s profile across the UK and beyond for investment.

“Swansea Arena has been completed, the Palace Theatre building has reopened, the Albert Hall has been transformed, and the 71/72 Kingsway office development will soon be open with a number of tenants confirmed and advanced discussions with many other tenants ongoing.

“It’s fantastic news that the groundbreaking, innovative ‘living building’ scheme led by Hacer Developments will be following suit by the end of the summer.

“Our new ‘Y Storfa’ community services hub at the former BHS unit on Oxford Street is due for completion by the end of the year too, and work will soon start to transform Castle Square into a greener destination at the heart of the city centre.”

The ‘living building’ is being funded by a mixture of private sector funding and funding from the Welsh Government’s Innovative Housing Programme, Pobl and the Development Bank of Wales.

#biophilicBuilding #construction #Hacer #livingBuilding #Pobl #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil

Housing Association to increase its maintenance and repairs staffing by 50%

This represents an increase of more than 50% on current staffing levels in the dedicated responsive repairs team. 

Pobl says the investment demonstrates its ongoing commitment to delivering “exceptional repairs and maintenance services”, providing a more efficient service and better value for money for customers. 

The new roles cover a variety of trades disciplines including engineers, electricians, roofers and flooring specialists, as well as supervisor and manager’s posts. With recruitment already underway It is anticipated that the new jobs will be rolled out in a phased approach across the 25/26 financial year. 

The Group will also be creating five new apprenticeship posts to help tackle the growing challenge of attracting young people into a trades career, a move aimed at enabling Pobl to safeguard and secure the long-term trades pipeline, creating customer focussed technically skilled tradespeople. 

John Connolly, Director of Trades at Pobl Group, said: “This recruitment drive, and the expansion of our in-house trades team, is an important step forward in enhancing the quality and efficiency of our repairs and maintenance services. It’s a big investment that will enable us to take greater control over the service we offer, ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience for customers.

“We’ve listened to feedback and used it to shape how our repairs and maintenance service will look going forward. Under our new structure, with the expanded team, not only are we aiming to provide an improved service with greater accountability and flexibility, it will also ensure better value for money for customers who want to know that their rent money is being used as efficiently as possible.

“We are particularly excited about the newly created apprenticeships and providing opportunities for young people to develop and grow. It is an exciting time for the Group following the merger between Linc Cymru and Pobl last year. This recruitment drive is an example of the community focussed services and investment programmes made possible by being part of a large but local expanded group providing homes, care and support for the people of Wales.”

Following the successful merger between Linc Cymru and Pobl in 2024 the Group now manages over 24,000 homes, with ambitious plans to deliver more than 4,500 new homes over the next five years, and provides care and support to almost 17,000 individuals.   

#apprentices #electrician #engineers #housingAssociation #Pobl #roofer #trades

Former Police Station to be used to house homeless

The historic, grade-2 listed building on the corner of Alexandra Road and Orchard Street in Swansea city centre is currently owned by social housing organisation, Pobl.

Pobl has owned the building since 2003 which has previously been used for student accommodation.

Now the housing association, working with Swansea Council wants to transform it into 65 rooms for single people or couples who are homeless or at risk of homelessness as temporary accommodation.

Cllr Andrea Lewis, Swansea Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for service transformation said: “This is a great opportunity for the council and Pobl to work together and ease some of the pressures we face with tackling homelessness in Swansea. 

“We will also be able to ensure those being housed within the redeveloped property are supported for any additional needs while they are there, with the aim of moving them into more permanent housing as soon as possible.”

Andrew Vye, Pobl Group executive director for customer and community, said: ”The security a suitable environment provides can allow those who have experienced homelessness to get back on their feet. 

“Homelessness continues to be a challenge across Wales and can impact anyone.”

The council and Pobl recently worked together to transform the nearby Ty Tom Jones on Alexandra Road into temporary accommodation for homeless people.

The council has also redeveloped a former education centre in Uplands to include residential pods for people who need temporary accommodation.

(Lead image: Google Maps)

#homeless #homelessness #Pobl #studentAccommodation #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil #TyGlas #TyTomJones