A key decision maker at Cardiff Council said she understands the frustrations of tenants in a council housing estate who have been waiting years for their new flats to be built.
Cllr Lynda Thorne made her comments at the topping out ceremony of a block of independent living flats at Channel View on Friday.
Residents living in the 13-storey block opposite were first told in 2016 that their flats would be demolished and that they would be rehoused, with many claiming they have been living in poor conditions since then.
Clllr Thorne, cabinet member for housing and communities, said: “I was doing monthly surgeries and I felt as frustrated as they did."
“I guess we forget that we had Covid in between which delayed it all and then unfortunately we had issues with the…regulations, particularly to do with fire safety which delayed it further."
“Yes, I understand their frustration and I felt [it] too because I want to see it [the new building] coming out of the ground as well.”
Residents living in the old block claimed they experienced issues with mould, damp and leaks as they waited to see progress on the new flats.
It was reported in March last year that some residents had experienced plumbing issues that saw sewage appear in their toilets and baths.
Cllr Thorne said she was “over the moon” to see the new building, block B, at its highest point in the construction process.
She added: “This is actually a replacement for the high rise and of course, since we took the cladding off they have been a bit colder and sometimes [there has been] a little bit of condensation in the flats which means they are all keen to move into their new flats."
“Although it doesn’t address the housing crisis, it does address getting…particularly older people, in really good accommodation.”
Cardiff Council has partnered with Wates Residential on the Channel View project.
Block B will deliver 24 new energy efficient council homes for older people and the apartments in the six-storey building are expected to be ready for residents next year.
Cardiff Council leader Huw Thomas was also at the topping out ceremony.
When asked about delays to the project, he said: "Rome wasn’t built in a day and I am really concious of how long it’s taken to make a reality of this project."
"We first started talking about it and the need for it shortly after I became leader eight years ago, so it’s a frustrating thing for everyone how long these things take to come to fruition."
"You’ve obviously in that period had issues like Covid, you had the disastrous mini budget that in turn affected interest rates and that has had a knock on impact on costs as well. There are good reasons why it has taken so long, but I absolutely understand the frustration from residents."
"The council has tried to do what it can to support them…during that period and obviously for the residents living across there will be payments in terms of a relocation payment as well and disruption."
"We all acknowledge that it has not happened as quick as we would like, but it has also delivered some really good learning of how we take these processes through quicker and the irony is, and this is a UK challenge, the actual building bit doesn’t take as long as the financial assembly and the planning process."
A second block of flats that’s also part of the first phase of development at Channel View is scheduled for completion in 2027.
This building, called block A, will consist of 102 community living apartments, community facilities, a rooftop terrace and a cafe.
The whole Channel View scheme will eventually see the 180 existing properties there, originally built in the 1970s, replaced with 400 new homes.
It will also seek to deliver improved connectivity for the estate, improvements to the public open space at The Marl, and the creation of a new public realm using green infrastructure and sustainable drainage systems (SUDS).
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