Wales’ biggest housing group gets new name as Linc and Pobl merge to form Codi

The new identity came into force on 1 January 2026, bringing the two major organisations together under one banner and one strategy. The move creates a single not‑for‑profit giant with nearly 25,000 homes, 17,000 people receiving care and support, and more than 3,000 staff across Wales.

A new Welsh housing heavyweight

The merger, first confirmed in June, brings together decades of work by both organisations — including the earlier merger of Swansea‑based Grŵp Gwalia and Newport’s Seren to form Pobl back in 2016.

Codi says its mission is simple: to “rise” to the challenges facing communities across Wales, with the name taken from the Welsh word for “rise”.

The new group says it will use its combined strength to deliver more homes, more support and more long‑term investment in local communities.

Scott Sanders, Group CEO of Codi Group, said:

“The completion of the merger and transition to Codi marks a significant step forward. Codi brings together the strengths and legacies of two strong organisations with shared values and deep community roots, giving us the size and scale to make a real difference while staying local to the communities we work in.

“As an anchor institution in Wales, we have a unique ability to influence and drive real change. Working in partnership with like‑minded organisations, our ambition extends beyond simply building better homes to shaping whole communities.

“Our ability to deliver at scale while staying rooted in local communities is what sets Codi apart and underpins how we approach growth, partnership, and lasting outcomes for our customers.”

£1bn boost and thousands of new homes

Codi says it will contribute £1 billion to the Welsh economy over the next five years, supporting jobs, skills and new developments across the country.

The group also plans to build more than 4,500 new homes, alongside continued investment in existing communities and services.

As a not‑for‑profit organisation, Codi says its focus remains on helping people “live well, feel supported and achieve their full potential”.

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Plans approved to demolish Neath’s historic Caewern House to make way for 36 flats

Caewern House, which has been a part of the area since the 1870s, has stood empty since closing as a care home in 2019.

After purchasing the site in 2022, Linc Cymru says it has been focused on preserving the building’s heritage while planning for a sustainable future.

The vacant building has seen “numerous instances of vandalism” and is now in a poor state of repair.

Once demolished, six three-storey blocks of apartments will be constructed, each with six apartments.

Linc Cymru say the development has been designed to blend with the surrounding area, with the homes will facing inward, ensuring privacy for neighbouring gardens and fostering a strong sense of community.

While Caewern House is being redeveloped, Linc Cymru say its rich history will not be forgotten. Thanks to a £164,964 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the housing association is running ‘What Once Stood‘, a project that aims to preserve the history, stories and memories of Caewern House and Lower Dyffryn School in Port Talbot before they are redeveloped. 

Running from January 2024 to January 2026, What Once Stood will capture and share the history of these buildings through research, digital archives, and creative storytelling, ensuring their legacy lives on for future generations.

(Lead image: Tim Morris / Linc Cymru)

#Caewern #CaewernHouse #housingAssociation #LincCymru #Neath

Linc Cymru, a housing association and care provider based in South Wales, has stripped everything from flooring to ceramics and cookers to stone from the former Lower Dyffryn School and is reusing it in a variety of innovative and creative ways.

The project known as ‘What once stood’ is the brainchild of social value manager Natalie Hawkins at Linc Cymru who said:

“When we got the approval to develop new affordable homes on the site of the former Lower Dyfrryn School, I decided to investigate what we could do with the fabric of the building and its materials. 

“There was some beautiful parquet flooring and ceramic fireplaces within the building, as well as things like speakers, basketball hoops, tables, chairs, and cooking equipment. We have tried to find a home for everything by either donating it to a local school or care home, or recommissioning it for use in our business. 

“For me, it is not just about creating a legacy to the former school, it is also about recycling and reusing all the fabric that made up the building. I have really had to think creatively and produce creative and innovative ways in which to use the materials. It is not the easy option, but it is the right option.”

As well as saving 5000 tonnes of materials, which is the equivalent weight of 30 houses, Linc Cymru has made use of over 1300m2 of dressed stone, which is the equivalent of a quarter of a football field and and 100m2  of flooring, which is 30 times as big as a parking space.

A lot of the materials are being put to skillful use, for instance, Natalie has commissioned an arts charity, Tanio, to create artwork with the ceramic from the fireplace that depicts the heritage of the school or area, with the local community.

The parquet flooring will be repurposed by carpentry students at Neath College in partnership with Cyfle Building Skills to create benches and other items for the garden areas around the new development. 

They are also planning on using the stone from the existing building, which will be ground up and used in the foundations of the new development. 

As well as using all the materials from the former building, Linc Cymru is creating a large open green parkland space and planting over one hundred trees to help enhance and encourage biodiversity in the area. 

Natalie added: “We wanted to create a sense of pride in the community and promote community cohesion. And an environment where both people and the environment can flourish.”

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change, Huw Irranca-Davies said:

“This is a great example by Linc Cymru of finding innovative ways of reducing waste and keeping materials in use for as long as possible. As well as the carbon emission savings, they have involved local community groups to repurpose materials into new products such as benches. 

“This is just one example of action being taken across Wales to help tackle the climate and nature emergencies. Together we really can make a difference to help create a greener, cleaner Wales.”

Linc Cymru is a housing association and care provider based in South Wales. It is committed to embedding social clauses in all contracts which add value environmentally, socially, economically, and culturally to people and communities.

https://swanseabaynews.com/2024/09/29/housing-association-recycles-5000-tonnes-of-building-materials-in-innovative-renovation-project/

#LincCymru #LowerDyffrynSchool