When residents first hear about a planning application for 95 new homes, it is understandable that their minds go immediately to the visible changes. They picture more cars on familiar roads, construction traffic, noise, pressure on schools, pressure on healthcare, and a shift in the character of the place they know.
Those concerns deserve to be taken seriously because people are attached to their communities and have every right to ask how new development will affect daily life. They want to know whether the roads can cope, whether children will still get school places, whether GP surgeries and dentists are already stretched, and whether months of construction will be managed properly.
For Derwen May Homes, those questions sit at the beginning of the conversation, not at the end of it. Good development has to start by acknowledging what residents see first, then explaining what a well-planned scheme can bring over time.
Huw Llewellyn, founder of Derwen May Homes, said, “When people hear ‘95 homes’, they often see traffic, noise and pressure on services before they see anything else. I understand that, because change is personal when it arrives near your own home. Our responsibility is to listen properly, prepare carefully and explain the wider value with honesty. A development should be judged not only by the number of homes, but by the quality of the place created and the benefits it helps unlock.”
That wider value is less visible at first, although it can be significant. The Home Builders Federation estimates that home building supports around 3.5 jobs per dwelling, which means a 95-home development could support approximately 330 jobs across construction, professional services, trades, suppliers and the wider local economy.
Those jobs represent groundworkers, engineers, architects, ecologists, planners, electricians, plumbers, roofers, bricklayers, site managers, sales teams, manufacturers, hauliers, landscape contractors and many other people whose livelihoods are connected to new homes being built. In Wales, where local supply chains and skilled employment are central to community resilience, that economic contribution deserves to be seen alongside the immediate concerns.
The HBF Housing Calculator figures for a 95-home development show the wider picture. Such a scheme could support around four apprentices, graduates or trainees, helping bring new talent into construction and related professions. It could generate approximately £4,275,000 towards affordable housing, supporting homes for people whose needs are acute. It could contribute around £85,500 towards open space, community sport and leisure.
The same calculation estimates approximately £593,750 for infrastructure, including around £267,921 for schools. It also indicates around £2,533,333.65 in tax revenue, including approximately £191,187.50 in council tax. These figures help show why a planning application should be considered as more than a site boundary and a housing number. When development is viable, well planned and responsibly delivered, it can support public services, community facilities and local investment.
For Derwen May Homes, the point is not to use numbers to brush aside concerns. The point is to bring the whole picture into view. Residents deserve to understand both sides of the development story: the disruption and adjustment that come with change, and the longer-term contribution that new homes can make when carefully planned.
Technical discipline is central to the Derwen May approach. Roads, drainage, ecology, access, biodiversity, construction management, design, energy performance and community infrastructure need attention. A good application should be built on evidence, realistic assessments and a clear understanding of how the site will work within the surrounding area.
This reflects the company’s values of innovation, quality, integrity, individuality and community. Innovation means looking for better ways to create efficient, durable and attractive homes. Quality means holding standards through design, construction and aftercare. Integrity means being honest about impacts and benefits. Individuality means respecting the character of each place rather than applying a standard answer everywhere. Community means recognising that a development becomes part of a wider living network.
A 95-home development can bring market homes, affordable homes, local employment, apprenticeship opportunities, infrastructure contributions, open space investment and new spending into local businesses. It can help people stay close to family, move within the area, form new households and build a life in Wales. It can also bring temporary disruption and change, which is why the process has to be handled with care.
Huw Llewellyn added, “Developers need to do a better job of explaining the benefits of good development, while also being honest about the questions communities raise. The answer is not to talk louder. It is to prepare better, listen properly and build homes in a way that reflects responsibility.”
A planning application for 95 homes is never just 95 homes. It is a conversation about housing need, local confidence, jobs, affordability, infrastructure, community life and the future shape of a place.
For Derwen May Homes, the responsibility is to make that conversation fair, informed and grounded in Welsh values. New homes should be delivered with care, quality and respect, so that the value created can be felt by the people who move in and the wider community around them.
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