Pembrokeshire Housing Association has revealed there are currently 276 homeless families in the county and is warning there is still a long way to go in the fight to provide affordable housing for such families in Pembrokeshire. Pembrokeshire Housing says developments such as the recently approved schemes for much needed affordable homes at Skrinkle in Manorbier all help in the fight against the county's growing housing crisis but they say there is still along way to go before it is resolved. The Pembrokeshire Housing scheme at Skrinkle will see a selection of one bed flats and two and three bed family homes being developed on a pocket of unused land within the existing estate. The development will directly address the now widely recognised need for affordable housing across the county, and sits comfortably within recommendations of the Joint Unitary Authority Development Plan which has identified the urgent need of 1,800 new affordable homes during the lifetime of the plan. Peter Maggs, chief executive, of Pembrokeshire Housing Association, said: "The Welsh Local Government Association reported last year that Pembrokeshire is now believed to have the least affordable housing in Wales. There are currently around 4,000 people on the Pembrokeshire Housing Register seeking affordable housing, with 276 families currently classed as homeless, so the size of the problem is clear for everyone to see. "Getting the approval to develop small sites such as the ones at Skrinkle will help to go a small way towards to helping to ease the growing housing crisis within the county. Pembrokeshire County Council has an agreed strategy in place that encourages small developments of affordable housing, to replace housing that has been lost in recent years under the right to buy. "We are 100 per cent committed to tackling the issue of affordable housing head-on, and will continue to work closely with Pembrokeshire County Council, and local communities, to provide schemes that will help to ease the problem. "As house prices continue to rise, and properties in the county are snapped up as second homes, the need for affordable family housing is only going to become even more acute, which will make our work right across the county even more important." • Formed in 1981, PHA is the largest housing association in the county with more than 1,600 homes for rent to families, single people and those with special needs. Its properties cover an area from St. David's in the North-West of the county to Saundersfoot in the South-East. Contrary to many people's expectations of an affordable housing development, its largest scheme, in Haverfordwest, comprises just 62 houses and flats. As well as Skrinkle, other Pembrokeshire Housing developments currently getting off the ground include extra care housing for elderly persons in Milford Haven, family houses, bungalows and flats in Clunderwen, one and two bed flats in Pembroke Dock, bungalows for disabled persons in Milford Haven and elderly and disabled persons accommodation Pembroke Dock. Peter Maggs continued: "The county council's housing stock is at about 5,500 ours is about 1,600, so there are about 7,000 properties together. Around 500 homes will become available every year from vacancies, so what we are trying to develop isn't going to meet the short fall. We have a long way to go and a tremendous amount of work to do but we are making gradual progress in improving the amount of quality, affordable homes in the county."
