Initial pre-planning work to begin on multi million pound Tŷ Nos night shelter replacement

Work has started on an ambitious project which – if approved – will help homeless people in Wrexham.

At the start of the pandemic, to help reduce the spread of coronavirus, councils across Wales took immediate action to ensure nobody had to live on the streets following a Welsh Government ruling as part of the pandemic response.

Wrexham already had a night shelter at Tŷ Nos on Holt Road, as well as temporary accommodation normally used during the winter.

But with Welsh Government funding, the council and its partners were able to step-up their approach, and rough sleepers were encouraged to take up surplus accommodation at disused accommodation at the Plas Coch end of the Glyndwr University campus.– where they were provided with personal support and somewhere safe during the pandemic.

Back in June it was announced the council was ‘looking for long term alternative accommodation provision’, with Welsh Government offering £50m across Wales to help all local authorities achieve the goal to ‘help keep people in their homes and end homelessness’.

As a result, Wrexham Council was awarded £2.2 million to replace the former Tŷ Nos night shelter with a new accommodation hub on the same site.

Wrexham Council have said initial site investigations and surveys are set to begin before the end of this month, which form part of the pre-planning process and the Pre-Planning Application Consultation (PAC) process, before a full planning application can be made for the development.

If the project receives planning approval, the hub will be built in partnership with ClwydAlyn Housing Association, and will provide self-contained accommodation and facilities where support can be provided to rough sleepers.

The council say the aim would be to give each person the individual support they need to help them get back on their feet and find somewhere permanent to live.

Cllr David Griffiths, Lead Member for Housing at Wrexham Council, said: “Providing rough sleepers with a safe place to stay – along with the support they need to improve their lives, health, employment and long-term housing prospects – is really important.”

“If approved, the proposed development on the Tŷ Nos site would play a key role in providing this support in Wrexham.”

Clare Budden, CEO at ClwydAlyn, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Wrexham Council and Welsh Government; to provide new homes for people who have been homeless.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to end homelessness in Wales and it will be great to see the night shelter which we have run for many years, being replaced with high quality homes and with a new model of support services being provided on site by the council.”

In early 2019 Tŷ Nos was the site for semi-permanent ‘pod’ style modular accommodation units, and we understand that the units will not be removed from the site during the redevelopment.