An award-winning housebuilder has just started work on a new £11million development that will create 100 jobs.
The properties at Victoria Park, on the leafy outskirts of Llandudno, will be the most eco-friendly houses ever built by Macbryde Homes.
According to Macbryde’s Sales Manager, Caryl Hughes, the first phase of the Victoria Park estate got underway in the teeth of the recession in 2008.
Despite the surrounding economic gloom, there was no problem selling the properties there and the original development is now nearly complete.
She said: “On the face of it, the Spring of 2008 wasn’t the best time to start building houses but we’ve bucked the trend and sold really well in an otherwise tough market.
“We’ve sold everything from a two bedroom apartment to large executive four-bedroom homes with double garages, so we have a good mixture of houses catering for everybody.
“One of the factors in our favour is that Victoria Park is in a fantastic location – and we’re just a few minutes from the A55.
“There will be 54 additional properties in the next phase and that equates to £11 million worth of housing – so it’s a vote of confidence in the Llandudno area and a vote of confidence in the market.
“We’ve estimated that this will create employment for up 100 people when you take into account the consultants, contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers during the course of the development.
“In addition, we will continue to use local workforce and suppliers whenever possible and that has a really positive knock-on effect in terms of the local economy.
“They are the most eco-friendly houses we have ever built which makes them kinder to the pocket and to the environment.
“It’s much easier to make new houses thermally efficient than it is with older properties.
“They might be comparable in price but it’s certainly going to be cheaper to run a new house than an old house. “
Design Consultant Ian Hornby explained the new houses in Victoria Park would be 25 per cent more thermally efficient because of new building regulations introduced in 2010.
He said: “In relation to the current regulations, they will be state of the art. There is increased insulation under the floor, in the walls and in the roof and we’re installing high efficiency boilers.”
“To make sure we get everything just right, we bring in a team of specialists who conduct pressure tests on the properties.
“The Welsh Government are accelerating the improvement in thermal efficiency as well, so all new planning permissions have to comply with the relevant codes for sustainable homes.
“These homes are a win-win for everybody concerned,” he added.
