Positive placemaking

• Project name: The Mill Canton
• Lead organisation: Tirion Homes
• Partner organisations: Powell Dobson Architects, Lovell Homes, Principality Building Society, Welsh Government & M & G investments

Statement of support

The Mill is a transformational regeneration project that has repurposed a derelict industrial site into a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable neighbourhood in West Cardiff. Built on the site of the former Arjo Wiggins paper mill, this ambitious development has delivered over 800 homes and created a place residents are proud to call home. This is a powerful testament to the strong identity and sense of community the design, delivery and ongoing community engagement has cultivated.

The 53-acre brownfield site in Cardiff is one of the largest and most important projects in Wales. Once associated with industrial decline, the land has been brought back to life through a visionary partnership between Tirion Homes, Welsh government, Lovell, Cadwyn, M&G Investments Ltd and Principality Building Society. What sets The Mill apart is not just its scale or design quality but the long-term social, environmental, and financial innovation that has facilitated its delivery.

Tirion has delivered 50 per cent affordable housing without any social housing grant at The Mill achieved through an innovative long-term institutional investment model developed with M&G Investments Ltd and with development finance provided by Principality Building Society.

The scheme is a genuinely mixed community where open market and affordable housing are indistinguishable in both design and quality. Homes are tenure-blind, integrated throughout the site, and built to the same high standard. This approach promotes equity, cohesion, and long-term sustainability. It also offers a credible and scalable alternative to traditional grant-reliant development.

The Mill is more than a housing development; it is a community with a distinct identity. What was once a derelict site is now a thriving, connected neighbourhood with a strong sense of place. This identity has been shaped by residents and supported by inclusive urban design, green infrastructure, and a commitment to placemaking.

Regenerating this site presented significant challenges, from land contamination and flood risk to infrastructure constraints and site complexity. These were overcome through strong collaboration, robust masterplanning, and an unwavering vision shared by all partners.

From day one, the goal was to create more than just homes, and build a place where people would choose to live and set down roots. Today, The Mill is home to families, individuals, and key workers from across Cardiff. They live side by side in high-quality homes with safe streets, attractive public spaces, and easy access to the River Ely and the city centre.

The scheme also unlocked wider investment in local infrastructure, improved active travel routes (including the delivery of a section of the Ely Trail), and created attractive public spaces that support wellbeing. There is even a new metro station programmed for delivery. The design ethos put the delivery and maintenance of green spaces and landscaping at the heart of the process resulting in a public realm of the highest quality. Green corridors run throughout the site, providing both biodiversity and recreational value to residents and visitors. A long-term maintenance regime ensures the green infrastructure is maintained to the highest standards.

Tirion Homes operates a long-term not-for-profit model, which ensures that all surplus income is reinvested into affordable housing and community initiatives. This means the social value generated by the development continues to benefit local people well beyond the construction phase.

The Mill has been designed with people at the heart of every decision. Streets are walkable and well-connected. Homes are energy-efficient and laid out to encourage interaction, neighbourliness, and a sense of safety. The architecture creates human scale places, and a variety of materials and elevations give character and interest to each street.

Homes meet or exceed current energy performance standards, and the inclusion of tree-lined streets, and generous green spaces shows a long-term commitment to climate resilience and healthier living.

Outcomes and achievements

The Mill is an exemplary model for how regeneration can be delivered differently. It proves that large-scale, mixed-tenure housing can be achieved without public subsidy, when purpose-led partners, long-term finance, and a shared social mission come together. It challenges outdated perceptions of affordable housing. It shows that affordable homes can be well-designed, fully integrated, and central to successful neighbourhoods. Most importantly, it demonstrates how regeneration can go beyond buildings to create real communities with identity, pride, and longevity.

The Mill, Canton is not just a regeneration project. It is a place reborn, a community built from the ground up, and a benchmark for what is possible when vision, innovation, and partnership come together. A thriving new neighbourhood now known and celebrated as The Mill, has been delivered through a unique funding model, and has delivered the very highest standards of place and community making representing the very best of regeneration in practice.

It deserves recognition for positive placemaking at CIH awards 2025.

• Project name: Chartist Garden Village: Positive Placemaking in Action
• Lead organisation: Pobl Group

Statement of support

Pobl Group, in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council, has delivered Chartist Garden Village on the site of the former Civic Centre at Pontllanfraith. Guided by the principles of the Placemaking Wales Charter, the scheme is a flagship example of how housing-led regeneration can create lasting physical, social, and economic benefits for local communities. 

The vision for Chartist Garden Village was to establish a vibrant, welcoming neighbourhood that blended high-quality homes with beautifully landscaped streets, open spaces, and a distinctive arts and crafts design aesthetic. The development has provided 123 homes across a balanced mix of tenures: social rent, shared ownership, and homes for sale. This blend has met pressing local housing needs while also fostering an inclusive and diverse community. 

Design and character 

The scheme was carefully designed to create a genuine sense of place. Homes were arranged around a central area of public open space, incorporating naturalistic play areas, tree planting, and sustainable drainage features such as rain gardens and swales. The Grade II listed war memorial, a focal heritage feature, has been celebrated within the layout, framed by bespoke almshouse-style apartments designed specifically for this site. Established trees on the site and along the boundary were retained to enhance character and biodiversity, and multiple footpath links were created to the adjoining SSSI. 

Inspired by the historic ethos of garden villages, the design has prioritised community wellbeing. Streets are treelined and pedestrian-friendly, with off-road parking to reduce visual clutter and improve safety. Distinctive house types were created to respond to the site’s topography and to reinforce the arts and crafts character. 

Sustainability and wellbeing 

Chartist Garden Village has been delivered as an exemplar of sustainable placemaking. The homes adopted a fabric-first energy efficiency approach, with low U-values, high insulation standards, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. These measures have reduced fuel bills for residents and supported the transition to low-carbon living. 

The integration of blue and green infrastructure has enhanced biodiversity, improved surface water management, and created attractive dual-purpose amenity spaces. 

The design directly aligned with the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, contributing to multiple national goals including cohesive communities, a healthier Wales, and a more resilient environment. 

Community and partnership working 

The project was shaped through extensive collaboration. Early engagement with the local community, planners, and the SAB team informed the design, ensuring that the scheme was deliverable, supported, and reflective of local priorities. Public consultation produced strong endorsement, and political support was consistent throughout. 

By working closely with Caerphilly CBC, Pobl ensured the development went beyond planning obligations. Although the section 106 agreement required 25 per cent affordable housing, the scheme delivered well above this level with 70 per cent affordable housing, ensuring that families in greatest need benefitted from high-quality, secure homes. 

Socio-economic impact 

Blackwood and Pontllanfraith experience significant demand for affordable housing, with hundreds of households waiting for one and two-bedroom homes. Chartist Garden Village directly addressed this, offering choice and opportunity to local people across the housing spectrum. 

The project generated wider benefits through the use of local contractors, suppliers, and the creation of construction jobs. Its proximity to Blackwood town centre also supported sustainable commuting and boosted the local economy. 

Lasting legacy 

Chartist Garden Village is more than a housing development. It is a place where heritage has been respected, biodiversity has been nurtured, and community wellbeing has been prioritised. By embedding the principles of the Placemaking Wales Charter, the scheme has demonstrated how thoughtful design, strong partnerships, and community engagement can deliver a lasting legacy of regeneration. 

This project stands as a model for how housing associations, local authorities, and communities can work together to create healthier, wealthier, fairer, and greener places that people are proud to call home.

Outcomes and achievements

Secured planning approval with strong support from both the planning authority and the SAB team. 

Recognised as an exemplar for sustainable drainage and placemaking, with rain gardens, swales, and ponds integrated into the masterplan to build environmental resilience and accessible green spaces. 

Provided 123 homes through partnership with Caerphilly CBC, exceeding the 25 per cent affordable housing requirement, delivering 70 per cent affordable homes, and addressing high levels of local need. 

Retained and enhanced the Grade II listed war memorial, integrating heritage at the heart of the community. Established trees on site and along the boundary were also preserved, and multiple footpath links connect to the adjoining SSSI. 

Introduced almshouse-style apartments, landscaped streets, and natural play areas designed around the memorial to celebrate and protect the site’s history. 

Set a new benchmark for sustainability with EV charging infrastructure in every home and a fabric-first approach to reduce running costs and emissions. 

Demonstrated how collaboration between Pobl and Caerphilly CBC created a distinctive, inclusive, and enduring new neighbourhood that embodies positive placemaking and leaves a lasting legacy for Caerphilly.

• Project name: Aberegele Western Gateway
• Lead organisation: Cartrefi Conwy

Statement of support

The partnership between Cartrefi Conwy and sculptor Ben Dearnley is a clear example of how art, community involvement, and collaboration can bring new life to a local neighbourhood. The project has transformed part of the Abergele Western Gateway into a vibrant public space, creating a focal point for the community while the wider site is under development.

This award recognises that regeneration is about more than physical change. It is about creating places that are healthier, wealthier, fairer, smarter, stronger, and greener. This project reflects all of these values.

At its heart, the project is a collaboration. Cartrefi Conwy worked with Ben Dearnley, local funders, and most importantly, the community, to deliver a temporary use of land that makes a real difference to people’s lives.

The first step was the creation of the Friendship Bench, designed to spark conversation and connection among residents. From this starting point, the project grew with the addition of the “Three Sisters” sculpture, symbolising unity and strength. This success helped to secure CultureStep funding, which supported further creative and cultural elements.

The Poet’s Stone followed, featuring a stanza from a Welsh poem by Tegwen Bruce-Deans that celebrates local folklore and storytelling. Alongside this, poetry workshops and stone carving sessions were held, giving local people the chance to share their voices, creativity, and heritage.

Sustainability was a key focus throughout. Recycled materials were used in the artworks, and all sculptures were designed to be relocated in the future so their benefits would continue as the site evolves. When the wider development is complete, the installations will move to a permanent public space, ensuring their legacy endures.

The impact has been clear. A previously unused site has become a place where people meet, pause, and take pride in their community. The project has supported wellbeing by encouraging social contact, celebrated local culture through art and storytelling, and created opportunities for residents to take part in a meaningful way.

This project demonstrates how physical improvements can be combined with social and cultural development to bring lasting benefits. It has made the area greener through the use of recycled materials, fairer by including a wide range of community voices, stronger through partnership working, and smarter by making use of the land while awaiting development.

Cartrefi Conwy’s vision for regeneration is to create places that improve lives, build pride, and leave a legacy. Through its partnership with Ben Dearnley and the community, this project has already made a difference and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Outcomes and achievements

The partnership between Cartrefi Conwy and Ben Dearnley has delivered significant outcomes for the Abergele Western Gateway site and its surrounding community.

Three key installations – the Friendship Bench, the Three Sisters sculpture, and the Poet’s Stone – have turned an unused area into a place that promotes wellbeing, creativity, and connection. All were designed using recycled materials to ensure a greener approach to regeneration.

The project engaged local residents through poetry workshops and stone carving sessions, allowing them to share their voices and celebrate Welsh folklore. This active involvement created a stronger sense of ownership and pride.

Funding from CultureStep was secured, demonstrating the power of partnership working to bring additional investment and broaden the project’s benefits.

Importantly, the installations are designed to move into a permanent public space once the full development is complete, ensuring that their cultural, social, and environmental value will continue long into the future.

This project shows how regeneration can be more than physical change – it can create healthier, fairer, and stronger communities through collaboration, culture, and creativity.