Work is about to start on the construction of four more affordable houses on former Welsh Assembly Government land in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park.
The houses, on open land in the village of Dolwyddelan, will be the second affordable housing development on land previously managed by Forestry Commission Wales.
It follows the sale of the land to Cymdeithas Tai Clwyd, who built the first three-house affordable housing development on Assembly woodlands in Dinas Mawddwy last year.
The houses will be built using Welsh softwood and should be completed by November 2010.
The site was identified as having potential for affordable housing in 2004 and the development was given the go-ahead after the local authority confirmed the need for affordable housing in Dolwyddelan.
Forestry Commission Wales will approve the design of the houses, which will be built on a 1.5 acre site in the village to the Assembly Government’s standards for sustainability.
The Assembly is keen to encourage the use of home-grown timber in the construction industry to help its sustainable development programme.
Llion Derbyshire, FCC Wales area land agent, said, “As the largest single land manager in Wales, Forestry Commission Wales is doing all it can to help the Assembly Government to meet its targets for affordable housing, especially in rural locations.”
FC Wales has submitted a number of sites to the Assembly which it considers would be suitable for affordable housing to be promoted through the housing departments of the unitary authorities.
Bryn Davies, of Cymdeithas Tai Clwyd, said, “There is a desperate need for affordable houses in this area and these houses will help people to create a home in the community in which they grew up.
“The houses will provide a boost to the local economy and be built using Welsh wood to the highest standards of sustainability.”
