The future for the site of a former care home in Wrexham has been revealed.

Wrexham Council plans to knock down the old Nant Silyn home in Caia Park, and build 12 new council houses in its place.

In 2015, the home, which was run by Wrexham Council, closed its doors for the last time when the authority axed the home as part of budget cuts.

The building, now boarded up, has remained vacant since then and the authority’s adult social care department has been spending £6,000 to keep the site secure following reports of anti-social behaviour.

Initially, the site was offered to regional social landlords with a view to affordable housing being built but that has not progressed.

In 2015, the council approved a programme to increase its social housing stock but the lack of suitable council-owned land has slowed the authority’s approach.

But with the help of Welsh Government funding, it is now hoped Nant Silyn could be demolished to make way for new social housing.

Council leader, Cllr Mark Pritchard, said: “In the past we would have sold it but we have decided not to.

“We are going to start a programme of building new council houses in Wrexham and this is the first one.

“There is a demand for quality, 21st century social housing. Some of the private sector leaves a lot to be desired.

“If we can sell assests and put that money back into the pot, we will, but on this occasion we have decided to do it ourselves.

“We will demolish the existing building and work with a partner to build 12 houses on there.

“That will be phase one and hopefully we will continue building from there. The late Carl Sargeant had a passion to build 20,000 new social housing units across Wales and I believe he was right.

“We are working alongside the Welsh Government to build new social housing in Wrexham.”

In order to support its commitment to deliver 20,000 affordable homes in its current term of office, the Welsh Government has made a number of funding programmes available.

The housing finance grant is available to Wrexham Council and the indicative allocation of funding is £1.6 million in 2018/19 with a further £1.1m in 2019/20.

If the allocation is not spent, it would likely be recycled to other local authorities.

If executive board members approve the appropriation of the Nant Silyn site from the general fund to the housing revenue account, it is proposed to use the Welsh Government funding to deliver a new build development on the site.

It would focus on specialist and adapted housing for older people and those with additional needs according to local housing waiting lists.

Members will vote on the proposal at a meeting in the Guildhall on Tuesday.