The Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, Lesley Griffiths, today witnessed first-hand how Welsh Government investment in the regeneration of Newport has provided valuable training opportunities and quality housing for local people during her visit to Griffin Island.

Griffin Island is the latest in a number of major developments revitalising the heart of the City Centre, being delivered by Newport City Council and Pobl Group, as part of the Welsh Government’s Vibrant and Viable Places programme. The visit follows on from her earlier ministerial visit to Cardiff Road in September to unveil both Pobl’s and the first homes completed in Wales through the VVP programme.

Work at Griffin Island is well underway to convert the empty upper storey Victorian City Centre building into a range of 27 modern apartments. Located in the heart of the City Centre’s conservation area, the homes have been sensitively designed to retain the character and significant historic fabric.

The apartments are being constructed in two phases by Greenwich Communities, and the first eleven apartments will be ready to move in during May 2016.

The mix of predominantly 2 bedroom apartments come with integrated white goods and flooring throughout and are available for intermediate rent through us, Serenliving and will be allocated via Home Options Newport.

Griffin Island is also generating real community benefits…

Creating employment opportunities for the unemployed: Greenwich Communities have to date employed a total of 14 people on site who had previously been unemployed, equating to 182 weeks of paid work.

Protecting the environment: We are actively supporting the Council to reduce waste to landfill. We employed Constructing Excellence Wales accredited Atlantic Recycling to remove 67 skips from the site, containing over 166 tonnes of waste; 100% was diverted from landfill; of which 90% was recycled and 10% used for energy generation.