UK’s largest modular council housing scheme proposed for Leeds

The UK’s largest fully modular council housing and apartment scheme in the UK could be built in Leeds, following a planning application submitted by Leeds City Council and United Living.

If approved, the scheme in Holbeck, which is close to the city centre, will see 28 homes constructed in less than nine months, with the first residents moving in by early 2020.

Manufacture of the new homes is planned to begin in late spring 2019 at an off-site facility in Brandesburton, East Yorkshire. The property mix will include 14 apartments across two blocks, alongside ten individual two-bedroom homes and four, three-bedroom homes.

Premier Modular will produce each entire module off-site, adding brickwork cladding, roofing, and placing the finishing touches to the exterior frames before transportation to Leeds.

Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities Councillor Debra Coupar said: ‘We are delighted that this flagship project has reached this critical stage and are looking forward to delivering these homes on site.

‘This project is a modern method of construction, changing the delivery of our housing and allowing for us to develop housing opportunities that our residents and communities want and need. We’re looking forward to seeing the houses once they are completed.’

Helen Francis, business development director (North) for United Living, added: ‘We’re incredibly excited to begin the construction phase of what will be our first fully modular development.

‘Without compromising on quality, the speed of delivery will really set this project aside and – with radical solutions needed to fix the UK’s national housing shortage – this could be a trailblazer for others to follow. If all goes to plan, from concept to completion we’re looking at almost halving the time it would take to construct these homes through traditional methods.’

Last month Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust (BMHT), Birmingham City Council’s house-building arm received planning permission to install its first modular home.

The council believe modular could be a solution to the growing social housing waiting list for people who require one-bed or two-bed properties.

However, with Shelter saying 1.2 million new council homes need to be built, UK councils have been slow to adopt modular into their social housing stock.

Read Environment Journal’s recent report on why modular housing hasn’t taken off in the same way in Scandinavian countries.