Beyond bricks and mortar: how housing associations can help regenerate Wales’ towns

Trivallis has completed the purchase of a prominent site on Taff Street in Pontypridd, near Llys Cadwyn, with £837,004 support from Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme.  The site creates the opportunity to deliver new homes alongside a new commercial space, demonstrating how housing investment can contribute to the wider regeneration of a town centre.

The project comes at a significant moment for towns across Wales, with renewed national focus on the future of high streets and the role that investment, placemaking and new uses can play in creating thriving town centres.

For Trivallis, the Taff Street project is an opportunity to demonstrate the contribution housing associations can make to that agenda.

The ambition is not simply to deliver homes. By bringing a prominent town-centre site back into productive use, the scheme can help connect housing with the wider life of the town; supporting activity, encouraging footfall and complementing the regeneration already underway in Pontypridd.

Louise Attwood, Director of Development at Trivallis, said:

“Housing associations have a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of our towns. We can invest in land, deliver the homes people need and think about how those homes contribute to the places around them.

“Taff Street is a great example. The starting point is new homes, but the ambition is to create a development that adds to Pontypridd’s identity and supports the wider town centre.

“At a time when there is such a strong focus on regenerating Welsh towns, we want to be part of that conversation and, importantly, part of the delivery.”

The development will sit alongside the wider programme of investment transforming Pontypridd and comes as the town develops its bid to become the UK’s first Town of Culture.

For Trivallis, the project reflects a broader approach to development: building homes that help build better places.

Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, Siân Gwenllian, said: “Housing is fundamental to the vibrancy and vitality of our towns, and these acquisitions will allow work to progress on the detailed plans.

“Redeveloping this site for housing and community space can help to attract people into Pontypridd town centre. It’s exactly the kind of partnership we want to see driving regeneration across Wales.”

Councillor Mark Norris, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing at Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, said:

“This is an important milestone for the redevelopment of a key town-centre site and a positive step towards delivering new homes in the heart of Pontypridd. Bringing this prominent location back into active use will complement the wider regeneration taking place across the town and help create a vibrant, attractive and sustainable town centre.

“We welcome Trivallis’ investment in Pontypridd and look forward to continuing to work with partners to bring forward developments that support our communities and contribute to the town’s long-term future.”

Detailed proposals for the site will now be developed, with further information to follow as the project progresses.