Merthyr Tydfil has a proud industrial history. It was the centre of the industrial revolution and in the 1830s, the Dowlais Ironworks was the largest in the world employing over 5,000 people. One of the legacies is that the town has a large number of industrial terraced housing, some of the oldest in Britain.
In 1977, Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association was established. We were formed as a result of a local Shelter action group – Merthyr Housing Group. Originally our work focused on the areas of Dowlais, Aberfan, Troedyrhiw, and Cefn Coed. We have expanded to have homes across the local authority area of Merthyr Tydfil.
We are proud to be 100% Merthyr and to be a community-based housing association.
In just under 50 years of working in Merthyr we have increased our housing stock to 1,257 homes. We have done this through targeting acquisitions, and rehabilitation had considerably improved the fabric of communities such as Dowlais. Since 1989 and the advent of mixed funding the Association built new homes in areas across the borough.
In keeping with our strong sense of history and community we have developed a number of landmark schemes which have helped preserve of historic buildings.
These include the older persons scheme at Dowlais Stables and Taibach Cottages in Pentrebach. We have also helped to regenerate the town centre through our work in work in restoring and then letting Flooks, Redhouse Old Town Hall, and 115 High Street. These are a mix of commercial and residential properties.
In developing new buildings, we are very conscious of the existing environment and seeks to complement existing buildings and enhance the community.
We work in partnership with five voluntary organisations and the local authority to provide specialist housing and support services to vulnerable individuals. The type of scheme varies from floating support to shared housing.
