New Loughor ‘homes of the future’ ready for viewings

The Gwynfaen development, by Pobl Living is nestled in a stunning landscape with panoramic views of the Loughor Estuary, with homes that offer the latest in low-carbon living and technology.

Built by Hale Construction Ltd., on behalf of Pobl Group, the 144-home low carbon village at Gwynfaen has been designed to create a welcoming place to live, with homes rich in character, while also being highly sustainable and energy efficient, with no shortage of greenspace at one’s doorstep.

The developer says that homes at Gwynfaen will be low carbon and a ‘fabric first’ approach has been adopted – airtightness has been maximised and levels of insulation increased to reduce heat loss, meaning that the homes need less energy to heat. Sustainable materials have been carefully selected with local Welsh timber incorporated into the new homes.

South-facing elevations feature both photovoltaic panels and increased glazing to take full advantage of energy and heat from the sun, while batteries will store this free energy until it’s ready to be used. Its combustion free living at Gwynfaen with no gas boilers, but instead relying on efficient air source heat pumps for heating and hot water needs. Electric vehicle charging points are included as standard on every home, promoting a cleaner mode of travel for residents and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery purifies air in the homes whilst reducing heating demands even further.

Technology from Sero will help residents at Gwynfaen to control, understand and optimise the energy in their homes, ensuring that the homes use the least amount of energy, and at times, be capable of selling excess energy back to the grid. All this means improved comfort that people need, and that energy bills remain as low cost as possible.

Alongside the utilisation of modern technology, appreciation of the natural landscape is also a priority. A central ‘village green’ area of public open space will provide an attractive focal point, alongside other landscaped areas throughout the site which link to the Loughor Estuary and beyond.

Pam Bickel, Head of Sales at Pobl Group, said: “These beautiful homes are the latest example of the high-quality, affordable housing that we are offering at Pobl Living. I would encourage anyone who is interested to come and see it for themselves and to get a feel for the distinctive and special place that we are creating at Gwynfaen.”

Rhys Thomas, Senior Project Manager at Sero, said: “Sero are delighted to be partnering with Pobl on another landmark low carbon living project building on our joint learning at Parc Eirin. Our technology will help the new residents to Save Time, Save Money and ultimately do their bit in saving the planet.”

Tom Bevan, Construction Manager at Hale Construction Ltd, said: “It’s a pleasure to build this fantastic innovative scheme for our long-term client Pobl alongside our sister company SO Modular utilizing a locally sourced closed panel timber frame system with modern cladding finishes and sustainable low carbon technology leading the way forward for building homes for the future.”

The planned large-scale development of eco-homes at Gwynfaen was only made possible through a collaboration between Pobl Group and Coastal Housing, which saw a joint development bid submitted to the Welsh Government’s Innovative Housing Programme. This was successful in attracting over £9M towards the cost of developing the scheme’s 144 low carbon, off-gas homes for sale and rental, which were to be shared by the two organisations.

Originally scheduled for a start in Summer 2020, the scheme has been significantly delayed due to factors including the Coronavirus pandemic, and will now proceed as a Pobl development, allowing Coastal to focus on a range of other eco-home projects such as those it has recently delivered in Pennard, Gower and Llandarcy, Skewen

The 2, 3 & 4-bedroom houses available for sale at Gwynfaen will be sold via shared ownership and outright purchase options.

(All images: Pobl Living)