Leckwith Road Community Living forms part of Cardiff Council’s Older Persons Housing Strategy. The scheme includes 41 independent living apartments alongside re-providing an existing community centre with associated garden and Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA).

The design has developed with the core principles established by HAPPI (Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation). Accommodation is spreadacross all floors, with all apartments benefiting from private external amenity space in the form of recessed balconies or gardens. The ground floor provides residents access to a shared lounge and garden, alongside staff and back of house areas. The new community centre is interlinked with the main residential building and extends as a single-storey to the east, addressing the new community garden and MUGA.

The object of this scheme is to deliver a low-carbon development to minimise environmental impact and reduce ongoing running costs for tenants. The Council and Encon have committed to lowering carbon and removing fuel poverty with this scheme. The scheme will be delivered with a fabric first approach and supports Cardiff Council’s move towards low-carbon development. A communal heating system will be installed along with renewable technology such as ground source heat pumps and solar PV with batteries as appropriate.

The energy strategy ensures that an average SAPrating of ‘A’ can be achieved holistically. Encon have ensured that Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) are an integral part of the design process from day one. SuDS design will integrate rainfall management, integrating with amenity, biodiversity and site layout and ensuring use of the land efficiently, providing multi-functional benefits in terms of environmental, community and cost.

Encon have been collaborating with the design team during the pre-construction stage, to early establish performance requirements and ensure EPC A, SAP A ratings and renewable targets are achieved.