Lovell and Codi break ground on 143-home former County Hall scheme in Cwmbran

Lovell, Codi Group and Torfaen County Borough Council have broken ground on a 143-home development on the former County Hall site in Cwmbran, which Lovell is building for Codi with Welsh Government funding.

Lovell put the value of the scheme at £35.6m in its announcement on 5 October. The brownfield site will take 35 homes for open market sale, 50 for shared ownership and 58 affordable homes, the company said.

The 58 affordable homes break down into 36 apartments, 14 homes for social rent and eight for intermediate rent. Lovell said the project is due to complete in early 2029.

Anthony Vagges, Regional Managing Director at Lovell, said the ground-breaking was "marking the beginning of a long-term project that will see the redundant, former County Hall site be transformed into a high-quality and sustainable new community".

The homes by tenure

Tenure	Homes
Open market sale	35
Shared ownership	50
Affordable apartments	36
Social rent	14
Intermediate rent	8

Source: Lovell

Solar panels and air source heat pumps will be fitted to the social rented homes, according to Lovell, and an existing bat house on the site will be renovated. The company said the site sits within a woodland area, with two schools and a hospital nearby.

Rhys Parry, Director of Development (East) at Codi, said the Codi house types "combine high-quality materials, energy-efficient design and distinctive architectural character, creating homes that feel rooted in the local area".

Timing of the start on site

The October event follows a contract award that Lovell announced on 25 August. In that announcement the company said construction work had started in June 2026, while the October release describes the partners as having officially broken ground on the site.

In August, Vagges described Codi as one of Lovell's longest-standing partners and said the scheme formed part of the company's growth plans as it expands across South Wales. Sarah Hodges, Development Manager at Codi, said at the time that demand for homes was high in that part of Cwmbran and that support from Torfaen council and the Welsh Government had been crucial.

Lovell describes itself as a national partnership housing specialist and is part of FTSE 250-listed Morgan Sindall Group plc.

Policy context

The Welsh Government set a target of an additional 20,000 low-carbon homes for rent in the social sector by 2026. In a written statement on 13 November 2025, Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, said 3,643 additional affordable homes had been completed across Wales in 2024-25 and forecast that 18,652 low-carbon social homes for rent would have been delivered by May 2026.

What happens next

Lovell said it will create apprenticeships and work placements for local people over the course of the build.

Codi Group plans to open a four-bedroom Heywood style showhome and release the first open market homes for sale in spring 2027, with the whole scheme due to complete in early 2029.