The Brondanw estate community is in the beautiful mountainous surroundings of North Wales, with views directly overlooking Mount Snowdon.
The properties are clearly identifiable by their signature “Portmeirion blue” paint, which can be found either on doors or elsewhere on the buildings. The colour is a nod to Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who set up the charitable trust that owns the houses in the 1970s, to help families in the area to find affordable homes to rent. He was also responsible for the nearby and unique tourist village of Portmeirion, with its architecture reminiscent of an Italian coastal town.
The trust owns 48 residential properties in the Croesor Valley, which has been nicknamed by some as the “Fairy Village”.
Surprisingly, the residents are not all wealthy home owners, as all of the housing offered is ‘affordable’, with rents kept to a minimum.
Not so surprisingly, there is a healthy waiting list for the properties. However, priority is given to local, young, Welsh-speaking families and, as such, the average age is the lowest of any village in Wales.
Many of those living in the village are aware that the standard of housing is far better than the norm. For their limited budgets they are in a very fortunate position.
The trust is also aware that families can suffer from mental health issues in our modern fast moving world. This, it says, is the main reason for the fastidious attention to the bright colours and positive attitude.
Another benefit of living in the Brondanw community is that it does not suffer, as do so many other Welsh villages, from the perils of second home ownership. Whether you approve of second home ownership or not, all of the homes in Brondanw are occupied all year round, giving the people who live there a sense of community that is not interrupted at any time.
There is no point in contacting a surveyor if you want to live in Brondanw – unless, of course, you own the whole village!
It really is the ‘Stuff of Fairy Tales’.