🏡 **Carmarthenshire’s Housing Challenge: A Home a Day in 2024-25!**
Carmarthenshire has been busy on the housing front, with a house popping up daily throughout 2024-25. Yet, with 362 new homes built, it’s still a far cry from the ambitious target of 1,013 per year according to the county’s latest development plan.
Let’s rewind a bit: the housing boom peaked at 710 back in 2019-20, right before Covid turned the world upside down. Post-pandemic, numbers plummeted to just 229 in 2022-23. Though we’ve been on a gradual upswing, catching up to the target remains a challenge.
Why the shortfall? It’s anyone’s guess. Theories range from cost of living pressures to a shortage of available sites and lingering pandemic effects. Carmarthenshire Council has its finger on the pulse, with new planning guidelines introduced in 2024-25 to shake things up.
Planning permissions were another story altogether, aiming for 1,405 approvals a year, yet only reaching 475 in 2024-25. On the flip side, there’s been a brighter forecast in the renewable energy sector, particularly solar projects, which saw significant approval rates.
Retail in town centres had its ups and downs, with some areas seeing vacancies decline, while Llanelli’s primary retail units struggled with more than a 35% vacancy rate.
There’s a lot on the council’s plate: balancing homebuilding targets while also juggling employment site development and retail space occupation. But amidst these challenges, progress is slowly but surely in the making. 📈🏠
Stay tuned for more updates on how Carmarthenshire is navigating these housing hurdles and striving for community growth!