Chief Executive calls for continued investment in social housing

The Chief Executive of Adra housing association has called for continued investment in the social housing sector in Wales to meet the growing demand for homes.

Iwan Trefor Jones has also called for a simpler planning process to make it easier and faster to develop new homes and for more funding to implement the Welsh Housing Quality Standards programme which aims to make homes more energy efficient.

Iwan said: “Housing in Wales is never far from the headlines and it is recognised that Wales is in the grip of a housing crisis, with increasing demand for affordable and open market housing. People have a basic right to a home that is safe and affordable, so continuing to invest in housing is absolutely essential.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution but there is a clear will within the social housing sector to make a real difference. We are looking at our own lending opportunities as organisations in terms of financing developments, but we believe that continued investment from the Welsh Government is critical.

“The Welsh Government has set a target for 20,000 new low-carbon homes to rent by 2026 and housing associations have a role to play in helping to reach that target. But new developments bring their own challenges in terms of the need to identify land for development and dealing with complex planning processes and procedures. We need to see simpler processes that would lead to housing associations and developers being able to move more quickly.

“We also have significant challenges in terms of ambitious plans to decarbonise our existing housing stock, including meeting the challenges of implementing the Welsh Housing Quality Standards 2023. These Standards would help to make our homes more energy efficient, but there are major questions regarding the funding of the programme. All social housing providers have submitted their investment plans to the Welsh Government for consideration, but funding these improvements is likely to be a significant and real challenge.

“Housing associations have ambitious programmes to invest in their housing stock and new homes. This leads to wider benefits for our local communities by offering opportunities for contractors and developers to bid for work, which in turn creates local jobs and keeps the pound local. In addition, this supports the Welsh language and culture in our communities.

“Therefore we are calling for assurances from the Welsh Government that investment in social homes will continue to be a priority moving forward”.