Housebuilding is a hot topic in the UK at the moment, with calls from many quarters for more houses to be built to accommodate a growing population. However, it is not always recognised that housing development often brings far more additional benefits than many people realise. Tim Grey, Sales Director at Llanmoor Homes, outlines the contributions they will be making to the community in the area surrounding their new development in Llanharry.,

Tim said: “Whenever we begin the process of submitting a Planning application for a proposed new development, we usually meet some understandable resistance from the community. Many local people are concerned about the strain that a new housing development may put on local facilities, roads and schools. What most people aren’t aware of is that we as housebuilders are required to make substantial contributions to every community we build in to ensure that the impact of our new developments is always positive.”,

Llanmoor’s new development, Bryn Meurig, will comprise of 77 homes and will form a new phase of their successful Elms Farm development.,

Tim said: “One of the main concerns people have is that schools will struggle to provide extra spaces for the new pupils brought in by the developments and that the standard of education will fall as a result.,

“The Local Authority Education Department calculated that Bryn Meurig would generate an additional 19 pupils who will need places at local schools. To accommodate this we’ve made an education contribution of over £18,500 per pupil, a total of £354,000, which was paid to the Local Authority as soon as we started work on the development to ensure that the schools have the necessary funding long before the spaces are required.”,

In addition to education provision, the effect of a new development on transport and roads is a key concern amongst local people.,

Tim said: “A new housing development bringing more people into the area will always result in some increase in traffic, which is why we work closely with the Highway and Planning departments at Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council to limit and mitigate the impact as much as possible.,

“Based on the number of homes on the development it was calculated by the Local Authority that there was a need for a contribution of over £200,000 towards highway improvements which we will be making over the course of building the development. We have also already made a contribution to the Local Authority of £29,000 which is intended for use in making road improvements in the immediate area of Pontyclun.”,

Llanmoor will also be providing a new play area for children as part of the new development. The cost of creating this space, providing the equipment and the payments to the Local Authority for future maintenance of the play area will total circa £120,000. The space, which otherwise would not exist, will provide a safe and fun place with brand new equipment for all children from site itself and the surrounding developments.,

Tim said: “People worry increasingly that they may never be able to own their own home, and one concern people have with new housing developments is that the new homes won’t be ‘affordable’. This is why, at Llanmoor, we actively encourage people to use the Help to Buy Wales scheme and work with Local Authority schemes to help people get onto the property ladder.,

“As a result, at Bryn Meurig, in addition to any sales which will be made under the Help to Buy Wales Scheme, we are also providing six of our 2 bedroom properties to be sold at a discount of 30% off market value under the Rhondda Cynon Taff Homestep retained equity Scheme, which assists those people who can’t get a mortgage to buy their new home outright. We are also providing nine properties of social housing through a partnership with a Registered Social Landlord. The cost to the developer of providing these elements of affordable housing is close to half a million pounds.,

“These contributions and provisions total a sum of over £1.1 million being put back into the local area and community facilities that wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for this new development. When you also factor into account the additional council tax that will be paid by new residents, employment for local construction workers and more people to shop in the local villages of Llanharry and Pontyclun, it’s clear that Bryn Meurig will be a positive addition to the community.”