Households to increase by 10.5% by 2039, report says

An aerial view of Cardiff

The number of households in Wales is expected to rise by 10.5% within the next two decades, a report has shown.

Cardiff is projected to have 195,300 households by 2039, up 32% from 147,600 households in 2014.

But academics pointed out the rise is lower than previous projections.

The Statistics for Wales report has been based on population projections by the Welsh Government, along with household estimates by councils.

The biggest increase is in Cardiff, where earlier this month the council approved plans for a new £2bn "garden village" with almost 6,000 homes on the outskirts of the city.

This was followed by Swansea with a 17% rise - up from 105,600 households in 2014 to 123,200 by 2039.

Powys is the only council area where the number of households is projected to fall - down 2% to 57,600.

The report also showed one-person households will be the most common and are anticipated to rise by 27%.

It is estimated the average household size will drop from 2.29 people per household to 2.17.

Dr Neil Harris, senior lecturer at Cardiff University's School of Geography and Planning, said it showed urban areas were "buoyant and growing" while areas with lower projections were more "stable".

But he pointed out that the data was based on recent five-year trends continuing in the same way, and stressed that a rise in households did not necessarily equate to an increase in population.

"Nevertheless, in urban areas, there would be demand for more schools, better public transport, more investment in utility infrastructure," he said.

"However, in a city like Cardiff, the council is already planning for this scale of development.

"In stable areas, there would be potentially less pressure on housing stock but if there is a reduction in the population then certain services could face a challenge to sustain themselves."