Partnership Delivers First Modular Homes

A joint venture between Homes England, Sekisui House and Urban Splash has delivered the first modular homes at the new town of Northstowe.

Each townhouse home has been created by House by Urban Splash, a company backed by a £90M deal between the UK Government’s housing agency, Urban Splash and Japanese-based Sekisui House.

The Town House Homes are the first set of 406 modern methods of construction (MMC) homes that will form the new community of Inholm on Homes England land at Northstowe.

The arrival of these homes marks a significant milestone for the agency’s 2019 joint venture with Sekisui House and Urban Splash, and further cements its commitment to MMC housing.

Housing Minister Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP said: “Building the homes the country needs is a priority for the Government, and this development, using modern methods of construction, will not only accelerate this work but deliver better quality and more energy-efficient homes too.

“These homes showcase the most promising housebuilding innovations around today and will provide a blueprint for the years to come.”

Chris Shaw, Delivery Director for House by Urban Splash, explained: “We really are pleased to bring our first homes to Inholm. Each of these townhouse homes has been created to the highest quality standards in our factory; we then carefully transport each floor – known as a module – to site via road, before craning it into place.

“We’ve been pioneering this concept for a few years now, delivering homes in this way to customers in Manchester, Birmingham, North Shields and Salford.

“It’s great to extend that offering and bring the first modular homes to this new neighbourhood. We cannot wait to see customers move in here and for this new community to flourish as a great place to live, work and play.”

Homes England is committed to supporting smaller housebuilders and developers to adopt MMC to increase the pace of construction, improve quality and energy efficiency and create a more diverse housing sector.

Gordon More, Chief Investment Officer for Homes England, commented: “Seeing our groundbreaking joint venture with Sekisui House and Urban Splash deliver the first MMC homes on our land at Northstowe is a proud moment for everyone at Homes England.

“This ambitious partnership and the creation of a new community of more than 400 MMC homes at the new town is a real statement of our intent to support MMC, encourage new entrants into the market and support the creation of sustainable neighbourhoods where they’re needed most.”

Inholm is just one of a number of sites which will form part of Homes England’s 1500-home research study into MMC to help drive innovation and construction in the industry.

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