Partnership developer Lovell, along with partners Pobl Group and Caerphilly County Borough Council, marked the occasion with a breaking-ground ceremony on the site, which will be called Chartist Garden Village.
Chartist Garden Village is a design and build scheme being delivered by Lovell, after it was awarded the contract earlier this year.
The development will consist of 123 properties, including 40 one, two, three and four-bedroom homes for open market sale, 40 affordable shared ownership homes and 43 affordable homes for rent.
Work on Chartist Garden Village is expected to be completed in summer 2024, and in total the project will create more than six apprenticeship placements and 128 weeks of work experience for local people.
Alongside creating opportunities to enter the construction industry, Lovell will also deliver community benefits and engage with local schools.
James Duffett, regional managing director at Lovell, said: “We’re delighted to have held this ground-breaking event at Chartist Garden Village with our partners Pobl and Caerphilly County Borough Council.
“We are very proud to be commencing work on this incredible housing scheme in Pontllanfraith, and are looking forward to transforming the brownfield site into a thriving Garden Village, where residents will benefit from enhanced space and surrounding landscapes of street trees, grass verges, a pond and public open green spaces.
“As a five-star developer which has signed the Placemaking Wales Charter, the concept of a Garden Village perfectly aligns with our core values at Lovell, as we put placemaking and people at the heart of our work. We are committed to providing the people of Pontllanfraith with a community and development that promotes happiness, health and well-being, as well as homes that are full of character.”
Neil Barber, Executive Director – Commercial at Pobl, said: “It's great to see work starting on this exciting and ambitious development. We're proud to be collaborating with Caerphilly County Borough Council and Lovell on this project together with support from Welsh Government to deliver high quality, affordable homes in a beautiful garden village setting, evidence of Pobl’s commitment to delivering affordable living solutions where they are needed across Wales.”
Cllr Philippa Marsden, the Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, said: “Today marks a significant milestone in developing this site into what will be a flagship housing development; which embraces and enhances the green spaces within it and surrounding it.
“The council is committed to increasing the supply of high-quality housing and we’re delighted that a third of the homes at Chartist Garden Village will be affordable, to help meet the ever-increasing demand within the county borough.
“In addition, Pobl and Lovell have given clear commitments to maximise the investment being made on this development to deliver much wider benefits for our local communities and we look forward to working in partnership with them to achieve this.”
Chartist Garden Village has been designed around the principles of a Garden Village, which combines traditional design with contemporary craftmanship. Garden Villages create well-designed, vibrant and healthy places to live with affordable housing.
