THE grade II listed Pearl Assurance House in the centre of Pontypool is set to be redeveloped as accommodation and a support base for the homeless. 

The grey stone building will be converted to provide 16-beds with support services also on site while its location, opposite Torfaen Borough Council’s civic offices, means information such as benefits advice will also be available close by.  

A planning application, for the change of use of the building and alterations,  was submitted in December last year and the council’s ruling Labour cabinet will be asked to give its final approval for the council being a part of the proposal when it meets on Tuesday, October 18. 

The Welsh Government will provide the £1.7m capital costs while housing association Melin Homes, which is a partner in the scheme, will provide £421,000 in private finance. A third partner will be commissioned to provide 24 hour on site support. 

The building will be converted to 12 one bed independent flats, four single units designed for short/emergency accommodation along with office space for housing and support services to create a “one stop shop approach”. 

Tenants will likely remain in their accommodation for six months while they look for a longer term home and their support needs, and any need for on-going support, are assessed. 

It’s anticipated one of three existing ground floor retail units will be a base for the council’s ‘housing Solutions officers’, the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and the Private Sector Bond Scheme which provides assistance for people to meet up front costs for moving into private housing as well as other organisations offering face to face interviews, advice and guidance. 

Construction work is set to start shortly and is expected to take up to 20 months. 

The neo-classical style building, in Hanbury Road, was built in the late 1950s for the insurance firm and, according to Welsh historic buildings body Cadw, it is listed for its special architectural interest as “a carefully designed purpose built commercial building of the post war period displaying distinctive styling and use of materials”. 

A chiropractor and the Wallich homeless charity currently occupy two of the three groundfloor retail units and they will continue to trade, though should the Wallich leave the council will become responsible for its £2,166.75 a year rent, and Melin will have to bare the same cost if the chiropractor’s unit becomes vacant. 

A report due to go before the cabinet says the plan will help tackle homelessness in Torfaen and mean the council will be less reliant on more expensive out of county temporary accommodation. 

A recent Freedom of Information Act request showed that the council spent £275,012 on temporary accommodation during 2021/22.   

The cabinet report said: “The scheme will also build on the suitability and availability of accommodation within borough and as a result fewer individuals/families will need to be placed in more expensive out of county placements. This will also allow tenants to maintain their social and support networks as well as being able to access local amenities such as job centres, banks and health services.”