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Scheme to help tackle homelessness

Posted on Friday 5th March 2021

An innovative new scheme to provide affordable homes could be established on a city centre car park.

Two Newport City Council cabinet members are considering proposals that will enable the creation of 12 Zed Pod modular flats on part of Hill Street car park.

Linc Cymru is developing the supported housing project which has been awarded £920,000 funding from Welsh Government as part of its phase two homelessness funding.

Councillor Roger Jeavons, deputy leader and cabinet member for city services, and Councillor Majid Rahman, cabinet member for assets, are considering whether to declare part of Hill Street car park surplus to requirements and dispose of it by a long lease to Linc Cymru.

An officers' report recommends a 250-year lease at a premium of around £180,000, subject to an independent evaluation and a covenant restricting use of the site to affordable housing.

All the car park would be closed while work to construct the flats takes place but some of it would then be returned to use as a car park.

All members of the council are being consulted on the proposal for the car park before a final decision is made.

During the pandemic, the Welsh Government has required councils to offer accommodation to anyone who is homeless.

The council's housing team and its partners have worked tirelessly to ensure people have been housed, particularly those living on the streets. This has been very successful with the majority of people taking up the offer of shelter and accessing other services.

Many people who were previously sleeping rough have moved into temporary accommodation and are engaging with support services for the first time. For some this has been life-changing and they are moving on to more permanent accommodation.

However, this has meant increased demand for temporary and permanent housing so a number of new schemes are progressing as part of the phase two programme.

Residents in the flats would either have access to floating support tailored to their particular needs or round-the-clock on-site support. Linc Cymru will be engaging with residents and businesses to explain more about the project if the proposals are agreed.

The report can be read in full here https://democracy.newport.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=413&MId=8037&Ver=4&LLL=0

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