United Welsh deliver a wide range of housing for the people of Wales managing just over 3,600 homes. Key to the organisations development work is a continued aim to build comfortable, secure and well-designed homes that people can afford to rent or buy. In addition, sustainability is playing an important role in this development work.  

We have a strong track record in environmentally friendly design. In 1999 United Welsh completed a residential scheme at Dan-y-Bryn, Gilwern. The site offered the opportunity to develop a scheme to the appropriate standard to achieve the BRE – Homes for a Greener World Environmental Award. 

More recently United Welsh have looked to incorporate at least two environmentally friendly features into all new development projects. Every scheme now goes through a rigorous evaluation process to identify ways in which it can be made more environmentally friendly. We want to build homes that produce SAP ratings well above those required by the Welsh Housing Quality Standard. 

Sustainable features include solar panels, under floor heating, sun pipes, wind catchers, rock wool external insulation, and highly insulated timber frame construction. We are also investigating the possibilities of micro wind turbine systems and ground source heat pumps. 

Setting a corporate objective of at least two environmental features within every new development is challenging, we need to ensure that the homes that are built remain practical, cost effective and desirable now and in the future. 

To ensure this happens a ‘Knowledge Transfer Partnership’ has been established. The partnership will include the creation of a specific post for 3 years to develop an environmental technical standard and look at ways of getting the balance right between capital cost, tenant benefit, and sustainable advantages.  

Our work on sustainability also includes the aesthetic nature of properties and local communities. The enhancement of external rendering and cladding, quality grounds maintenance, and the provision of a proactive community services team all play an important role in energising communities and reducing the perception of crime and anti-social behaviour. If an area of housing looks better, people on the whole feel better about their community.  

It is important that we continue to build houses that incorporate sustainable features both in the finished product and in the building process. We are determined to get the balance right between incorporating greener methods of building, offering benefits to tenants through things such as lower energy bills, and providing a service that United Welsh can continue to deliver for years to come.  

The development at Silver Street has received a great deal of media coverage including ‘Development of the week’ within Inside Housing magazine.