WHILE extra care housing projects in Welshpool and Ystradgynlais are progressing, a scheme in Brecon is stalling.

Housing officers told Powys County Councillors at the Economy, Residents, Communities and Governance Scrutiny Committee that nowhere suitable had been found in Brecon for the project yet.

In Welshpool, Neuadd Maldwyn has been identified as a site for Extra Care and redeveloping Pont Aur (Goldern Bridge) retirement housing is the option in Ystradgynlais.

To deliver these projects would cost more than £13 million and PCC believes that £7,738,500 can be found from the Welsh Government’s  Integrated Care Fund and Social Housing Grant programmes.

Cllr Kelvin Curry (Liberal Democrat – Rhayader) asked: “What was the criteria not to do anything in Brecon at the moment.

“When is something going to happen in Brecon?

“If it’s addressed as an area of need it needs to be addressed.”

Affordable housing officer, Terry Flynn, replied: “The reason to go ahead with two but not Brecon is that we have sites available.

“In Welshpool we are considering Neuadd Maldwyn as the possibility and in Ystradgynlais we are talking about extending and reconfiguring Pont Aur  which is and existing sheltered scheme owned by Pobl group.

“In Brecon we are bashing our heads against a brick wall trying to find a site.”

As we have no idea of a potential site there at the moment although we are looking at a couple what we can’t do, knowing the limitations of the funding schemes, we wanted to make the best possible use of them in the time available.

“As soon as we can identify a site in Brecon we will start a programme.”

Cllr Curry added: “If this is high priority and you can’t get the land how do you square the circle?”

Mr Flynn answered: “We have a couple of potential sites and thought we had the perfect one in Brecon being the existing DWP offices but it’s in two separate land ownerships and we would only be able to get half of it.

Corporate Director for Economy and Environment, Nigel Brinn, said: “It’s a longer term project. The need is present and the sooner we identify a facility the better.”

Extra Care housing offers more then the traditional sheltered accommodation and yet is not fully residential care and is now considered vital by PCC.

It deals with how to accommodate Powys’ ageing population.

If older people move to extra care accommodation their homes are freed up to those waiting on the council housing list.