Bjorn Conway, CEO, ilke Homes:
“ilke Homes welcomes the news that the government’s Housing Implementation Taskforce met at Downing Street today. Homes England’s role is reinforced and there seems to be strengthening cross-Government commitment to dealing with the issues demonstrated by the key departments of state represented at the meeting.
“Building more high-quality homes offsite and installing them in a matter of hours is a viable solution to the challenges facing the UK’s housing market, especially in affordable housing where provision is at a record low.
“The UK’s construction sector is facing a dire shortfall in highly skilled workers, and just replacing retiring workers will take time and a huge effort; key skills such as plumbers, electricians and quantity surveyors must train for several years. However, homes built on a factory production line, overseen by qualified specialists, rely on manufacturing skills rather than trade skills, and bring more manufacturing roles back to the UK’s jobs market.
“Modular homes are now precision engineered and deliver superior quality. ilke Homes are approved by the NHBC and are also more energy efficient – costing less for households to run than traditionally built new properties and over half that of the average UK home.
“By adopting modular solutions, developers can drastically increase their rate of delivery of new homes. ilke Homes can be installed on site at a rate of 10 homes per site per day, with the overall construction programme taking less than half the time of traditionally built homes. Only by embracing modular construction can the industry hope to address the UK’s chronic housing shortage and meet the government’s target of 300,000 new homes a year.”