Denbighshire County Council – Optimised RetroFit Programme 

Denbigh & Rhyl, Denbighshire, North Wales 

Project Value: £8.95M

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. Since then, we have undertaken a number of additional schemes, most of them featuring a mix of decarbonisation measures and simulaneous refurbishment works.

One of these recent projects began in January 2025 and featured 48 homes: 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 so doing, to raise their EPC ratings from D to a rating of C or better. The £1.9m project was financed by the Welsh Government’s Optimised RetroFit Programme (ORP).

Additional phases, all similarly financed, included:

• Solar PV panels and other measures to 10 residential blocks in Rhyl (50 flats in total)
• Decarbonisation measures and accompanying refurbishment works to 19 homes in Ruthin, plus an additional 11 in Corwen
• Solar PV panels, render systems and refurbishment works to 100 properties in Rhyl (completed in 2 phases)

The Projects

48 Homes, Rhyl & Denbigh: January 2025 to July 2025

The 48 properties featuring in the first of the listed phases 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 100 mm 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 tiled roofs.

As in other 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 by 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 Customer Liaison Officer who lived within the estate in Denbigh and who had a good relationship with the local community.

10 Residential Blocks, Rhyl: February 2026 to July 2026

Valued at £900,000, this scheme was awarded directly to SBS through Procurement for Housing (PfH). It called for the installation of solar PV panels and inverters, top-up loft insulation and ventilation works to 50 occupied homes, distributed across 10 residential blocks. In order to take advantage of economies of scale, SBS delivered re-roofing works at the same time. The project began in February 2026, with a forecast time-in-property of approximately 8 weeks.

30 Properties, Ruthin & Corwen: September 2022 to April 2023

Featuring 19 occupied homes in Ruthin and a further 11 in Corwen, this £1.4m scheme entailed installing solar PV panels and battery storage to all properties, while also conducting re-roofing and rendering works. Again, it was awarded directly, this time via the Welsh Procurment Alliance (WPA).

External Works & PV Installations to 100 Homes in Rhyl: September 2022 to September 2023

The first phase of this £4.75m project featured 58 properties and we secured the contact through a competitive tender process. We secured the second, featuring 42 homes, via direct award. The work itself was similar to the Ruthin & Corwen project, comprising a combination of solar PV and battery installations, re-roofing and rendering.

Results

On all phases, our team mobilised quickly and made good progress.

The scheme featuring 48 homes in Rhyl and Denbigh began in January 2025 and completed on time in late July. Good resident engagement helped to minimise no-access issues and ensured a good pace of completions. However, progress was slightly delayed in two cases where pipistrelle bats were found to be roosting. This demanded changes to the installation plan in accordance with the relevant licenses.

The client’s Health & Safety officer visited the site to make weekly inspections and reported no problems. The works yielded important improvements to the thermal performance of 48 homes and, consequently, they have enabled residents to make valuable cost savings on energy. The EWI and rendering works have also helped to improve the appearance of the homes and their wider neighbourhoods.

The communal works in Rhyl likewise progressed according to schedule. The only unexpected challenge came in the form of nesting seagulls that had chosen to occupy one of the block’s roofs. Nevertheless, we were able to amend the delivery plan to accomodate this, and all works duly completed in July 2026. Like the other phases, the works resulted in typical EPC ratings improving from band D to band C.

The other two schemes, encompassing a total of 130 properties across their various phases, all completed on time and on budget, and were delivered in accordance with the PAS standards.

Social Value

In order to maximise the local community value of the works, we engaged with North Wales Training to provide work experience opportunities for local residents. The initiative supported 10 individuals during the first phase alone, and helped several of them to secure lasting employment. In addition, we worked within the local community to identify a local, formerly unemployed person to take the role of compliance administrator, and we encouraged our supply chain partners to make similar commitments to promoting local training and employment opportunities. More details can be found in our article: “Work Experience & Employment in Rhyl.”