Rebecca Evans MS visited a new housing development on Gower last week to hear how important localism is to developers Coastal Housing and its construction partners Jehu Group and Down To Earth.

The Senedd member for Gower toured the development as part of a socially-distanced visit, learning how its 70 homes for sale and rent are being constructed using a range of local materials and skills.

Rebecca Evans, MS for Gower, said: “It’s really good to be visiting the new Coastal properties in Pennard today. I’ve had some really interesting discussions about how the materials have been sourced in Wales to ensure we’re keeping as much value in our economy as we possibly can here.”

Debbie Green, Chief Executive for Coastal Housing, said: “We’re delighted to be making more homes available for local people in this desirable area of Gower. We have a range of options for rental and sale, with a local connection policy ensuring they meet the needs of this community and contribute to the local economy.”

Dafydd Cantwell, Land & Partnerships Director for Jehu Group commented:  “We’re thrilled to have facilitated such a fantastic development on one of Swansea City Council’s designated rural exception sites, especially for one of our long-term partners – Coastal Housing Group. The Design Commission-led development has drawn, in the main, inspiration from the Gower vernacular and is a fantastic addition to the locality, providing much needed affordable, as well as open market housing, while also introducing innovative methods of construction with our partners Coastal Housing Group and Down To Earth.

After touring one of the homes for sale which is nearing completion, the visit moved on to the 6 homes being completed by groups of volunteers coordinated by Gower-based charity Down To Earth. These homes use even more local materials, including sheep’s wool insulation and metal panels produced by Tata Steel in Port Talbot.

Around 100 to 150 volunteers will have worked on each of these homes during the build, including young people not currently in training or employment, people returning to work following ill health and people seeking asylum in the UK who have been housed locally.

Speaking of her visit to the Down to Earth site, during which she heard from site staff and volunteers, Rebecca said: “I’m always really excited to visit any Down To Earth project and it’s been wonderful to visit these new 6 homes which are being built in Pennard. It’s amazing to see the way in which getting hands-on with construction can actually change people’s lives, change their perspectives and give them all sorts of new opportunities for the future.”