£154,950 buys you one of two brand new three-bed properties on Glasdir, with one bedroom coming with en-suite. Well, both were actually for sale in 2012, never occupied and a remnant of an unfinished estate, thanks to flooding.
What else might you get for your money?
Then, there’s a three-bed end of terraced property at Maes y Dre, off Wrexham Road. It’s to a 1920s/1930s design made popular at the time by a push for social housing. It will either appeal or it won't. Its frontage is actually rather attractive but you can't hide the fact that it was council-commissioned. Given its age, it may well require more work.
One further property is a three-bed semi on Bro Deg, an estate that Beresford Adams calls "ever popular". Indeed, it's "Set in this highly sought after development". It seems like a better bet for the money but looks as if it needs some updating. There's a separate workshop and a much better garden than at Glasdir. The whole development is beginning to look a little "tired". Indeed, properties of this age tend to require remedial action.
Conclusion? For all the Walled City's ills, problems and shortcomings, the new pair plus existing property on Glasdir seem such good value for money. They're tidy and won't require much attention for a good 10 to 15 years. They're well designed, even if the rooms are a little on the small side and built-in storage areas are in short supply. They're eco-homes. By the nature of the surrounding buildings, many of which are taller, they all look more crammed in than elsewhere but, let's be honest, Bro Deg can appear a little like that, too. All the Glasdir properties are sufficiently away from the main road.
Perhaps Glasdir isn't such a bad place to choose, after all. If you're looking to stay 20 years, watch out that Glasdir will become something of a sink estate. As Bro Deg matures, it will continue to lose its shine and appeal. Same with Parc y Llan. Maes y Dre hasn't the best of reputations but neither has it the worst.