Background

Davies Homes, a respected Welsh builder with over 40 years of experience, appointed Stark Works in late 2024 to deliver all utilities for their Dragon Parc development in Merthyr Tydfil.

After previously relying solely on the DNO, communication delays and rising costs pushed the developer to explore an ICP/IDNO route for the first time.

Stark Works was chosen for our clear communication and ability to deliver and adopt networks in‑house. A model that significantly reduced construction costs and improved programme certainty.

The brief

Davies Homes needed permanent power early to start construction, but no suitable Temporary Building Supply was available. The DNO’s £40,000+ quote made a temporary connection unviable.

Stark Works accelerated the delivery of the substation, energised it, and ran LV cabling to provide temporary power directly through our infrastructure.

This enabled the site compound (welfare, lighting, office) to become operational immediately, allowing the build to begin without delay.

Our design also future‑proofed the substation’s location to support all 200 homes as the site expands.

The project

Dragon Parc is a major 200‑plot residential development requiring full new gas and electricity networks to support a multi‑phase build programme.

Stark Works was appointed to design, install, energise and adopt all utilities, providing a single, fully managed service through our in‑house ICP and IDNO.

The development required a brand-new 800kVA substation, full HV and LV electrical infrastructure, and an extensive gas network capable of supporting all planned properties.

Stark was responsible for the complete utility design, coordination with stakeholders, infrastructure installation, energisation and ongoing adoption. By operating from concept to completion under one team, we delivered a solution that aligned with the developer’s build programme, budget and long-term strategy.

Powering the development

Stark Works is delivering 1,248m of PE low‑pressure gas mains, 117 plot services and 117 U6 meters across the development. On the electrical side, we have installed 592m of aluminium HV cabling, more than 2,500m of LV mains, and all single‑phase services required to supply each property.

The new 800kVA substation has been fully landed, fitted out and energised, enabling both permanent and temporary power to the site.

Over a kilometre of LV infrastructure now supports the early build stages, with power feeding directly through Stark’s network rather than relying on costly DNO temporary supplies.

The HV connection was completed despite challenging access conditions near the river, and temporary construction power is now running through Stark’s infrastructure, supporting welfare units, lighting and the site office.

The first five homes have already been connected to electricity and gas, with a further seven planned imminently.

Challenges

The site’s HV point of connection was located down a steep embankment close to the river, requiring careful access planning and safe working procedures to complete the tie‑in.

Gas metering timelines required alignment with external stakeholders, and the legal easements needed for substation energisation added further time pressure.

Through proactive coordination, detailed planning and continuous communication with Davies Homes and third parties, all activities stayed on programme without delaying construction.

Next steps

With the mains infrastructure complete and the substation energised, Stark Works is now progressing through phased plot-by-plot connections in line with the build schedule.

Our in‑house IDNO continues to manage all ongoing adoption activities, ensuring there are no bottlenecks between installation and energisation.

As future phases of Dragon Parc come forward, we will provide a fully supported, future‑ready utilities solution for every remaining plot, maintaining a single, streamlined point of accountability throughout.