Provision of temporary access to support the Wates Residential award-winning ‘Cardiff Living’ development partnership with Cardiff Council to build energy-efficient affordable homes for renting and private sale.

Wates Residential has entered into an innovative regeneration partnership with Cardiff Council to build 1,700 high-quality new homes over the next 10 years throughout the city. With a mission to deliver vibrant living spaces and improve available local housing stock within existing communities, this £190m project generates £15.3m in economic, environmental, and social value.

At least 40% (around 680) of the 1,700 total homes will be council homes available for rent, with a small number available to first-time buyers through the council’s low-cost home ownership scheme. The remaining 60% (around 1020) of homes will be available for purchase on the open market under the Cardiff Living brand. All the new residential development sites are purposely designed to prioritise pedestrian travel over motorised transport; active travel structures and layouts provide access to open spaces, including community and retail facilities, by walking or cycling.

The Cardiff Living Narberth Road development at the rear of the Western Leisure Centre is built on the former RAF Llandaff site (previously RAF Caerau), which closed in the 1950s and has lain vacant since the remaining disused concrete buildings were demolished in the mid-2000s. The new development comprises 83 contemporary properties (58 open-market units and 25 affordable units for rent), a mixture of two-, three- and four-bed houses, as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments.

All the terraced and semi-detached homes and three-storey apartments offer enhanced living environments that meet high sustainability and energy efficiency standards. Plus, the repurposed land reduces the need to develop on greenfield sites, with the urban development providing excellent access for vehicles and cycles, open landscaped spaces for modern living and recreation activities, and sustainable drainage.

To assist Wates Residential in completing the Narberth Road housing programme on behalf of Cardiff Living, on undeveloped land behind the Western Leisure Centre in Cardiff. We erected full external-envelope scaffolds up to three lifts high around each new-build house plot, utilising traditional tube and fitting to support progressive brickwork. Then, when bricklayers reached first-floor height, we provided internal fall prevention and quickly erected independent, fully boarded birdcages to create a stable working platform for various tradespeople and their equipment to operate safely. When the roofline is reached, we erect gable-end hop-ups to facilitate safe access to roof areas for tradespeople working at height before they commence laying tiles and installing rooftop solar panels.

Additionally, to further assist Wates Residential with keeping the build programme on schedule, all scaffold structures were integrated with up-and-over loading bays to support the delivery of materials for both external and internal works; the raised decked platforms are fitted with plastic rubble chutes and a hopper for quickly disposing of waste into skips below, ready for collection.

We also incorporated HAKI staircases that further enhance on-site efficiency and provide safe access and egress across all levels simultaneously. This further aids the new-build construction and fit-out phases, benefiting scheduled trades: bricklayers, glaziers, and roofers. Protective brick guard panels secured to all boarded lifts prevented the potential risk of falling debris or materials.

All the scaffold structures are erected on-site within TG:20 COMPLIANCE.

Wates Residential is a long-term associate member of the Considerate Constructors Scheme and strives to be a respectful neighbour in the communities where they build new homes. Our Kenfig depot operational team collaborated closely with the client to plan and coordinate scaffold erection and dismantling requirements, along with material logistics, to minimise any disruptions. This approach helped keep the overall project delivery on schedule and support Wates’ phased build programme.

The Cardiff Living partnership is committed to local recruitment by offering employment and apprenticeship opportunities to residents in communities around Cardiff. To support this initiative, Enigma has engaged in various Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, backing numerous projects aimed at assisting people living within the surrounding community catchment area.

In support of a roofing maintenance project at a local school, Enigma’s Kenfig depot supplied and erected a complimentary scaffold tower to provide rooftop access for a contractor who also generously donated their services. Additionally, we supplied hard hats, tape measures, safety glasses, and scaffolding tubes to support a training programme aimed at promoting construction industry opportunities for attendees seeking to enter the workplace.