Holman House, Caldicot

MHA purchased Holman House in 2023 for £1.145m, supported by £568,701 of Welsh Government Social Housing Grant. The mixed-use property consists of six residential flats on the 1^st floor and five commercial units on the ground floor.

We worked in partnership with MCC to help deliver their strategic vision of a flagship regeneration scheme in Caldicot town centre.

The project involved revitalizing the existing deteriorating building, restoring essential community services and delivering sustainable retrofit works.

External works

External works started in March 2025 and were completed by the principal contractor Capsel in February 2026. £600,000 was used for external upgrades, which included:

• Installation of 70 solar panels and 6 batteries.
• External wall insulation to improve the buildings energy performance.
• Hardie Plank Cladding, render and stone slips to improve the buildings aesthetics
• New residential front door to increase security and aesthetics along with a new canopy.
• Overhaul of the canopy the front of the building to improve the buildings aesthetics.
• New shop fronts and shutters to all the commercial units
• New rear doors and windows to the commercial units
• Resurfacing of the rear car park, new main gate and fencing

These works were enabled by the Transforming Towns Programme grant supported by MCC.

Internal works

The £220,000 worth of internal works were completed in May 2024 and included:

• Fire compartmentation works to improve the buildings fire safety.
• Mains distribution board and consumer unit upgrades for solar PVs.
• Complete re-decoration and installation of energy efficient lighting.
• Upgrade of door entry system.
• Washer/Dryers installed to enable our tenants to wash and dry their clothes.
• Sprinkler system serviced to ensure safety and compliance.
• Structural and Asbestos surveys completed.
• 400mm of loft insulation laid in the loft to increase energy performance.
•  Communal internet system and satellite TV installed.

The results 

The tenants have seen the benefits first-hand. With EPC ratings rising from a D to A, residential tenants have seen their bills fall by 85% per month. Tenants have also advised that they haven’t had to top up their pre-pay meters since the solar panels were installed.

A key community outcome included the reinstatement of Caldicot’s post office. Following the closure of Caldicot’s only post office, We worked closely with MCC to identify a suitable location for a new post office. MHA retained an empty commercial unit and provided the new postmaster with two months free rent to help them get up and running.

Holman House now out performs net-zero expectations, with the building now generating more renewable energy than it consumes. Through the installation of solar panels, more than 67 MWh of energy was produced within months of them being installed. 7 MWh of that energy was exported back into the grid and is the equivalent of powering almost three homes for a year.

The carbon and resource savings stats speak for themselves:

• 30.7 tonnes of standard coal saved
• 36.45 tonnes of emissions saved
• Equivalent to 48 trees planted
• 22 homes powered

Total Scheme Cost: £2.1m

Social Housing Grant Support: £796,181 (£568,701 – Acquisition & £227,480 – Construction)

Transforming Towns Programme Grant Support: £217,751.55