In a bid to ease the City’s housing crisis, Coventry is set to pilot modular construction, agreed in a joint project between Coventry City Council and Whitefriars Housing
Whitefriars Housing is set to pilot modular construction in Coventry in what could be the first of many of its homes to be built offsite.
The modular homes are to be piloted at a site in Littlethorpe, in Willenhall.
Two homes, a two-bedroom house and a three-bedroom house, will be built offsite by Totally Modular in its factory.
They will then be transported to the Littlethorpe site and lifted on to pre-built foundations before being connected to water, gas and electricity.
Work on the homes is set to begin in early 2019. The properties will reduce fuel bills for residents due to their high thermal efficiency and when built will achieve the highest energy rating.
Nick Byrne, Executive Director of Development at WM Housing said: “We’re delighted to be working with Coventry City Council on this pilot which will see us build our first modular homes in the city.
“Modular construction offers very real benefits. We want to run this pilot so that we can properly understand how this works and we hope this will allow us to use this method of construction at further sites in Coventry in the future.”
Councillor Ed Ruane Coventry City Council Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, added: “As a council we want to look at all ways to tackle the current housing scarcity, and to mitigate the risks of skilled trade resource shortages, the British weather and reduce the quality control issues associated with traditional build routes.
“The modular homes also reduce the impact on surrounding residents due to the reduction in the build period.”
