The first homes built under Cardiff’s flagship house-building scheme have completed, marking a significant step forward for the project.

The 13 completions are the first in Wales for national developer Wates Residential, which joined forces with Cardiff Council to increase the number of affordable homes for local people in the city in 2016.

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The homes, located on the Braunton Crescent (Captain’s View) site in Llanrumney, were released off-plan in March. All of the homes were reserved within 24 hours, with particular interest from first-time buyers.

All 30 plots on the site will reach completion stage over the coming months and this will include the first new council homes for rent, which are due to be handed over to the council in November.

Around 90% of buyers are from a four-mile radius of Cardiff. Twenty-one (70%) are first-time buyers, while 19 (63%) will be bought using the Government’s Help to Buy scheme.

One of the new homeowners is Bryan Jones, 34, who works in the IT department at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Mr Jones moved into his new three-bedroom home on Captain’s View in August with his wife, Caroline, having grown up in the area.

Bryan said:

“Our new home means we have been able to return to the neighbourhood where I grew up and be closer to family and friends – my parents now live less than a 10-minute walk away.

“The home has a great design and layout. The quality of the Wates development is really good and I’m really impressed by the company and their onsite management.”

Two other new homeowners are Darryl Pargeter, a 27-year-old software developer, and his wife Catherine Pargeter, a 25-year-old supervisor, who moved into their new home on Captain’s View at the end of August.

The couple, who met at university in Newport and wanted to live in Cardiff so they could easily see friends and family, are first-time buyers who were attracted to Wates’ development due to its price and location.

Darryl said:“We’re very happy with our new home. We had originally been looking to move elsewhere but then we saw the price and the fact we could actually afford to live in such a nice area and we just went for it!”

The homes are the first to reach completion under the Cardiff Living programme, a 10-year partnership between Cardiff Council and Wates Residential.

Designed to tackle growing demand for housing in the city, the project is set to deliver approximately 600 council homes, a small number of which will be released through the council’s Assisted Home Ownership scheme, and a further 900 for sale on the open market.

The Clevedon Road (Captain’s Walk) site, which includes 40 affordable homes, is due for completion in August next year. A further nine sites have achieved planning consent, with construction work on five of these sites underway as part of the first phase of the programme.

All of the homes built through Cardiff Living will meet high levels of sustainability and energy efficiency to help tackle fuel poverty.

As part of the ongoing partnership, Wates Residential and Cardiff Council have also made a joint pledge to create employment and training opportunities for local residents, including on-site apprenticeships, work experience placements and structured training programmes.

To date, 47 local people have benefitted from training and employment opportunities, while £5.5 million has been generated in economic, environmental and social value. Activities have included on-site apprenticeships, work experience placements and structured training programmes.

Paul Nicholls, Managing Director of Wates Residential South, said:

“When we first started working with Cardiff Council on this significant project, we promised that we would build high quality homes for local people and first-time buyers, and that is precisely what we have done.

“Seeing first-time buyers and families like Darryl and Catherine, and Bryan and Caroline move into their new homes is one of the best things about this job and we look forward to seeing more people move into our homes over the next couple of months.”

Cllr Lynda Thorne, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said:

“Cardiff Living is breathing new life into existing communities throughout the city, delivering good quality, sustainable homes in areas where people want to live.

“The scheme is enabling first-time buyers to take their first step on the property ladder and I’m delighted that the residents have moved in to Captain’s View and are already enjoying their new homes.

“We’re also making excellent progress on the council homes being built as part of Cardiff Living and look forward to our first tenants moving into Captain’s Walk later this year.”