A row of garages in Penparcau that are a “magnet for antisocial behaviour” will be demolished and replaced with flats if new plans are given the green light.

Barcud – formed by the merger of Tai Ceredigion and Mid-Wales Housing Association last year – has submitted plans to Ceredigion council to replace the row of redundant garages along Heol Dinas.

The housing association has been successful in bidding for a grant under the Welsh Government’s Innovative Housing Programme, subject to permission being granted.

Permission to demolish the 38 garages, which the housing association called “unsightly, unsafe and hazardous” and a “magnet for antisocial behaviour”, was granted in 2012, alongside the building of 12 flats on the site.

That permission was never moved forward, and the housing association now wants to press ahead with the new plan.

The proposed development, in partnership with Williams Homes based in Bala, would see the garages replaced with a “highly sustainable building” that “showcases the latest modern methods of construction and energy performance technologies”.

Each of the nine flats would have its own off-street parking space, with the development also providing an extra nine off-street parking spaces for existing residents on Heol Dinas.

If planning permission is granted, the works will commence in spring or summer 2021, the association said.

Barcud said: “The scheme has been chosen by Welsh Government to receive grant funding under the Innovative Housing Programme, subject to planning permission.

“It is a highly competitive programme due to the limited grant funding available each year and Barcud are delighted to have been successful in obtaining this grant.

“As part of the grant bid and allocation process the scheme has undergone a design review by the Design Commission for Wales, which involved a team of design experts scrutinising the design and recommending improvements.

“The proposal presented to the local planning authority under this current application is the end result of this design process.

“It is considered that the proposed development offers an exciting opportunity to significantly enhance the street scene along Heol Dinas by removing unsightly redundant garages and providing a replacement building that is of a high quality design.

“It has the potential to uplift existing residential development along this street and make a significant contribution towards regeneration of this area of Penparcau.

“There is strong housing demand in Aberystwyth for one bedroom homes, and the proposed development of nine new homes will directly address that need.”