The UK construction industry is set to receive a major modernisation boost with funding to create modular housing factories in the north of England – boosting the area’s economy.
Yorkshire is going being awarded £30m from the £4.5 billion Home Building Fund to boost business across the region and push forward greener more modern housing construction, with a belt of production facilities and factories expected to be set up across Lancashire, Yorkshire and beyond.
Housing Minister Esther McVey MP has confirmed that this is part of the government’s strategy to deliver zero carbon homes with an estimated value of £40 billion a year and create 80,000 new jobs.
Ms McVey said: “The north of England has the potential to lead the world in the modern methods of construction that are transforming home building.
“It’s vital we invest in new technology to get Britain building. Homes built using modern methods can be of higher quality, greener and built to last; we need to fully embrace this.”
Speeding up construction of sustainable homes
Some of the funding going into the north is being granted to the housing construction company ilke Homes to advance the ‘Construction Corridor’ – a new northern hub at the epicentre of building much needed homes.
The objective is to speed-up house building to help meet the government’s target of 300,000 new homes being delivered each year by the mid-2020s.
More homes, more jobs
ilke Homes intends to use the investment to increase construction at its factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire to more than double the number of homes they produce per annum from 2,000 to 5,000.
Dave Sheridan, executive chairman at ilke Homes, said: “This deal is testament to the dynamic approach Homes England is taking to address structural issues within our housing and construction industries.
“The funding will bring in further private capital, creating hundreds more skilled jobs allowing us to build more homes more quickly for first-time buyers.”
Homes England’s chief executive, Nick Walkley said: “Our role is to be bold and take steps to speed up the delivery of homes across the country and there is huge, untapped potential to unleash by creating more capacity in offsite manufacturing.
“Modern methods of construction offer enormous benefits to house building and this deal will have a transformational effect on ilke Homes’ production.”
