Trivallis names Wates Residential as development partner for Penrhys rebuild

Trivallis has appointed Wates Residential as development partner for the regeneration of Penrhys in Rhondda Cynon Taf, after what the housing association described as a year-long procurement, with the contract due to be signed in the coming weeks.

Trivallis said Wates was assessed against criteria including experience, quality, values and commitment to community benefit. Once the contract is signed, it said, work would move from the planning stage towards delivery.

The association is still in discussions with Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and is aiming to secure planning permission by the end of 2026. Construction will not begin immediately, Trivallis said.

Louise Attwood, Executive Director of Development, Assets and Sustainability at Trivallis, said: "Appointing Wates Residential is a landmark moment for the regeneration of Penrhys."

The scheme

Trivallis's Penrhys project page describes a plan to build a new estate of around 1,000 homes over the next ten years. Over half of them will be sold privately, which the association says is how it is able to fund the whole development. Tenants who move out receive a one-off home-loss payment of £8,000.

The procurement record published on Find a Tender gives a smaller long-term figure, describing phase one as delivering about 121 homes within a plan for around 800 to 900 homes across the site.

The planning application for the first phase was submitted to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council in November 2025, when Trivallis said it covered the first 123 homes. Phase 1 sits on the north-western edge of the estate, within the perimeter road of Heol Pendyrus, according to an earlier Trivallis update.

At the time of the November 2025 submission, Trivallis said it hoped to start building in 2026. Its latest announcement makes no reference to a start date beyond saying there is still work to do before construction begins.

The procurement

The contract award notice was published on Find a Tender on 8 October 2026. The record shows a preliminary market engagement notice on 6 August 2025, followed by a three-stage competition that opened with a tender notice on 7 November 2025 and closed with final tenders on 21 July 2026.

Dave Bullock, Wales Regional Director of Wates Residential, said: "Penrhys is one of the most ambitious regeneration opportunities in Wales and we are delighted to have been selected by Trivallis as its development partner."

Trivallis said Wates would help create long-term opportunities for local people through training, employment and skills programmes, and would support local businesses, suppliers and community organisations as part of the project.

The partners

Trivallis is a tenant-owned community mutual housing association providing homes to 25,000 people in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cardiff Bay. It was set up in 2007 as RCT Homes and took its current name in 2015.

Wates Residential says it has 39 partnerships and more than 7,000 homes delivered since 2005, working on brownfield sites across London, the South of England and Wales. Trivallis said the company has more than 125 years of experience and a reputation for complex regeneration projects.

Trivallis's next milestones are contract signature with Wates in the coming weeks and a planning decision from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, which it is seeking by the end of the year.