Tenants move in to Shropshire's first modular affordable housing
It could be the future of housebuilding, revolutionising the industry for years to come – but to 15-month-old twins Maisey and Stanley it's just home.
These new houses were built somewhere else, right down to the furnishing and decorating. When they were finished, they were transported in pieces and put up ready for their new tenants.
They are the first modular buildings to be used as affordable housing in Shropshire, and were this week officially unveiled by The Wrekin Housing Trust.
They hope that in the long run they will be able to build a house and have tenants in it the next week. The more efficient build will also, they hope, keep costs down while the cost of building overall increases.
New tenants Ian Burton and Lorna James, along with their twins Maisey and Stanley, are set to move into their new home later this month. And good news for the pair, they'll be moving next door to two other twins – so there'll always be somebody to play with.
"It just looks like a normal house," Ian, 41, said.
"It's not very often two sets of twins grow up next door to each other. I'm sure they'll grow up and enjoy it together."
The ribbon on the new houses was cut by Caroline Cormack, head of home ownership and supply for the Midlands at the Homes and Communities Agency, which funded the development.
Caroline said: “This exciting new development in Telford is an excellent example of our commitment to increase house building and the supply of new affordable, homes.
"We hope that many more housing associations and providers of affordable housing will follow The Wrekin Housing Trust’s example and embrace modern methods of construction such as modular homes to help increase the speed and scale of housing development.”
David Hall, head of property at The Wrekin Housing Trust, said: “We know there is a housing shortage both locally and nationally, so it’s important for the sector to demonstrate innovation in tackling the problem. That’s why we made the bold decision to include modular homes at this site so we can test build speed, quality and tenant satisfaction.
“Modular homes are up to 70 per cent quicker to both build and install than a traditional house, but they also have a 60-year life cycle, similar to that of traditional bricks and mortar buildings.”
