Denbighshire County Council – Optimised Retrofit Programme 

Denbigh & Rhyl, Denbighshire, North Wales 

Project Value: £1.7m

Introduction

Denbighshire County Council owns and manages over 3,400 social housing properties within its boundaries. Its commitment to quality has enabled it to achieve compliance with the Welsh Housing Quality Standard since 2014.

The council and SBS have a well-established relationship that dates back to at least 2016, when we undertook multiple retrofit works to more than 90 occupied properties in Corwen, Rhyl and Ruthin. This more recent scheme began in January 2025 and was designed to support works to 48 homes. These included 18 in Denbigh and a further 30 in Rhyl. Its purpose was to improve the energy efficiency of the properties through the delivery of various retrofit measures and, in doing so, to raise their EPC ratings from D to a rating of C or better.

The project was financed by the Welsh Government’s Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP) and procured via a mini competition using the Denbighshire County Council’s Extended Major Repairs Framework.

The Project

The 48 properties were all of traditional designs but different measures were required in different areas. Those in Denbigh required new slate roofing, together with energy efficiency measures including the installation of new photovoltaic panels, top-up loft insulation and external wall insulation. The EWI system, provided by Wetherby and featuring 100mm of mineral fibre insulation, would produce better U-values while also enhancing airtightness, weather protection and the outward appearance of the properties.

In Rhyl, the project called for a different mix of measures: the installation of PV panels, loft insulation and new render. To facilitate economies of scale, this work was carried out concurrently with the replacement of tilted roofs.

As in parts of the UK, decarbonisation retrofit schemes funded by the ORP must be delivered in accordance with the demands of PAS 2035. This presented no issues for SBS because we adopt a PAS-compliant approach as standard. Accordingly, our team began carrying out property-by-property surveys to determine the condition and specific requirements of each property.

Work on site began first in Denbigh. However, to enable the work to be completed on time, the project plan called for work to take place simultaneously in both districts from the start of March.

A further important consideration relating to mobilisation and speed of completions was that all properties would be occupied throughout the project’s expected 6-month duration. Recognising that good resident communications would be essential, we appointed a local Tenant Liaison Officer who lived within the estate in Denbigh and who had a good relationship with the local community.

Results

Our team mobilised quickly and the scheme is now progressing as planned – on budget and on schedule. The clients Health & Safety officer has visited the site to make weekly inspections and reported no problems.

Upon completion, the works are expected to yield important improvements to the thermal performance of the 48 homes and, consequently, to enable residents to make valuable cost savings on energy. The EWI and rendering works are also helping to improve the appearance of the homes and their wider neighbourhoods.

Excellent resident engagement has helped to minimise no-access issues and to maintain a good pace of completions. However, progress was slightly delayed in two cases where pipistrelle bats were found to be roosting. This demand changes to the installation plan in accordance with the relevant licenses.

In order to maximise the local community value of the works, we also worked within the local community to identify a local, formerly unemployed person to take the role of compliance administrator.