Whiteheads development latest as apartments go on sale

Just weeks after breaking ground, and before the first properties at the Royal Victoria Court development have even been completed, the houses and apartments up for grabs have been selling like hotcakes.

With construction starting in February 2022 at the former Whiteheads Steelworks site, the developers behind the project have already put some of the 528 properties up for sale.

And already, more than half of the apartments on the market have been sold.

According to Lovell Homes, 18 one and two-bedroom apartments were put up for sale at an early bird event at a temporary marketing suite at the Cardiff Road site.

After that event, just eight of the 18 apartments remain.

A CGI of the Elmtree apartment building at the Whiteheads redevelopment

One of these is in the Cypress House complex, while the other seven are a mix of one and two bedroom apartments in the Elmtree House aspect of the development.

All of these apartments are being made available to purchase off-plan.

This means that buyers are able to reserve their homes before they have been built – choosing from the available plots.

It is said that this method allows homeowners to “begin customising and adding personal touches before their home is complete.”

Continuing, they said that “subject to build stage, buyers can choose from a wide variety of standard finishes and upgrades to select from for every room of the property, including the kitchen, flooring, tiling and more.”

Another argument in favour of purchasing off-plan is that it locks the price in place, and future homeowners won’t end up paying more if prices go up at a later date.

It has also been revealed that more apartments at the Royal Victoria Court development will be brought to market in 2023.

What has been said about the latest development?

Julie Bowen, regional sales director at Lovell Homes, said: “We were delighted to see so many people turn up to our early bird event.

“The Elmtree House and Cypress House apartments were incredibly popular with property seekers in the area, and we are very proud that half of them have already sold.

“We expect the remaining apartments to be snapped up very quickly, so we’d highly encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch as soon as possible to avoid missing out.”

Everything we know about the Whiteheads development

Royal Victoria Court is being delivered by Lovell in partnership with Tirion Homes and with support from Welsh Government.

The development will consist of 528 properties, including 264 open market sale homes and 234 affordable homes for rent with Tirion Homes, alongside an additional 30 properties for low-cost home ownership through Melin Homes.

Selected properties at Royal Victoria Court up to the value of £250,000 will be available to purchase using the Government-backed Help to Buy – Wales scheme, meaning only a five per cent deposit is required.

The remaining amount is made up of a 75 per cent mortgage and a 20 per cent equity loan.

How did we get here?

The Royal Victoria Court site was, for a long time, the home of the Whiteheads Steelworks plant.

In 2005, the steelworks at the site closed, marking the end of an era after nearly 100 years.

At its peak, around 2,000 people worked here.

In September 2017, an outline planning application for a housing development here was approved, with work being carried out to get the industrial plot habitable for residents following thereafter.

The huge former Whiteheads Steelworks site is being turned into a 500-plus home housing development

Plans show that along with the properties, an eco-park, tree boulevard and series of open spaces will be created to ensure “a pleasant environment for future residents.”

Linking the site with the surrounding Pill, and wider Newport area, a pedestrian and cycle link is planned, along with three access points onto Mendalgief Road.

Access into the site will also be improved with an upgrade of Mendalgief Road.

More information about the development can be found online here.