A £10m fund to help bring empty homes in the Valleys back into use has reported strong interest.
More than 500 applications have been made to the Welsh Government’s Valleys Taskforce empty homes grant scheme.
Funding of up £25,000 is available towards renovation work and is available to owners who intend to live in the properties after work is completed.
The scheme is also open to registered social landlords and local authorities intending to acquire an empty property to be re-purposed for social housing.
To be eligible homes need to have been empty for at least six months.
Applicants are restricted to one grant per person and in cases where repair work exceeds £20,000, will have the option to apply for the Welsh Government’s houses in to homes scheme.
Phase one of the initiative was launched a year ago by Deputy Economy and Transport an chair of the Valleys Taskforce, Lee Waters, after a roll-out across Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The scheme is open to home owners across the extended Valleys Taskforce, which runs from Carmarthenshire in West Wales to Torfaen in East Wales. Its boundaries have also been extended to include the Gwendraeth and Amman Valleys.
Phase two of the scheme was launched last July.
So far just over £829,000 has been paid out to successful applicants with a further £9m committed.
Mr Waters said: “A year ago, I announced that following the success of a Rhondda Cynon Taf scheme, we were opening a £10m Welsh Government empty homes grant scheme across the whole of the Valleys Taskforce areas.
“It is heartening to see that scheme progressing well, with over 500 applications already received and I hope many more to come. Of course this year has been challenging for everyone, but despite the pandemic causing a delay on the scheme for many months, and the floods that impacted many Valleys areas, we have seen great progress.
"Local authorities have worked hard to roll out this scheme in their areas and provide the necessary match funding to make this success and I would like to put on record my thanks for their hard work. "
“I look forward to seeing the full results of this Valleys Taskforce scheme and will work closely with the Minister for Housing and Local Government to use our learning to influence and develop a future empty homes schemes for the whole of Wales.”
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