Four new modular homes have been craned into place at Parson Cross in Sheffield, to deliver affordable rent across the city
The modular homes have been precision engineered in a quality-controlled factory environment in Yorkshire using a light gauge steel frame.
The properties will look and feel like a traditionally built house, with a brick exterior and a pitched roof. They will also offer excellent environmental performance.
Provided as part of the council’s ambitious Stock Increase Programme, targeted at delivering 3,100 additional new council homes by 2029, this small-scale scheme will test Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).
Each modular home is a four-bedroomed family house built on Knutton Crescent at Parson Cross, an area where there is an identified need for this type of affordable home.
The first step into MMC
Councillor Paul Wood, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community safety at Sheffield City Council, said: “Our aim is to build more quality, warm and affordable homes where they are most needed across the city.
“I think they look rather impressive and it’s interesting to see how the homes come together as they are lifted on to site and installed with speed and precision.
“We look forward to asking people what they think of how they look and importantly what it feels like living in a house like this, when families take residence.
“Of course, we’ll be fully assessing the benefits and opportunities that homes like this could bring to the city to see if more of them should be built.
“As our first step into MMC for new council homes we have intentionally started small. We hope that building homes in this way in the future on a larger scale will help deliver wider benefits including cost reductions.
“We’ll be learning from this project, assessing what these homes are like to manage and maintain and how we would do things differently if there are further phases.
“It’s pretty exciting being a city that welcomes innovation, whilst offering affordable and efficient living, to those who most need a council home.”
Future housing delivery
Amanda Grimbleby, partnerships and business development director at M-AR Off-Site, said: “We are extremely proud to be working in partnership with Sheffield City Council to deliver their first MMC affordable homes in the City.
“The homes at Knutton Crescent are built to high quality standards and are extremely air-tight, significantly reducing heat loss and reducing fuel bills for families.
“Working with the Sheffield City Council team has been absolutely great, they are not only a collaborative authority but they are also very forward-thinking and could lead the way housing delivery is approached in the future, ensuring that much needed affordable homes are provided quicker, to high-quality standards which are more efficient, greener and sustainable for generations to come.
“It has been a pleasure to be involved in this project, and for me the real success here is not just the homes we have delivered in a short timescale, but the fact we have been able to progress the construction of the homes in our factory during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“What we have achieved here is a credit not only to the M-AR team but also to Sheffield City Council who we have worked closely with throughout the project.
“It takes a team effort to do this, so thank you to all for your proactive approach in making this happen for the city of Sheffield.”
