Modular housing pioneer ilke Homes has craned into place the first factory-built homes on a site in Hereford.

The company is delivering an affordable housing scheme for housing provider Stonewater, and the finished site will have 120 homes.

The scheme, in College Road, is being delivered through a £23 million partnership between ilke Homes and Stonewater.

Supported by Homes England, the formerly derelict site on the Holmer Trading Estate is being transformed to tackle the local growing demand for affordable housing, the firm said.

Work on site is set to be completed by early 2024.

The site, which was secured by ilke Homes from the landowners and subsequently bought by Stonewater last year, was the first project ilke Homes had secured under its full development “turnkey” offering.

This approach involves the housebuilder leading the entire development programme, from site identification and gaining planning consent, through to developing the scheme and finally installing the factory-built homes.

The planned development is set to deliver 74 affordable rent and 46 shared ownership homes, made up of a mix of one, two, three and four-bedrooms, underpinned with accreditations from NHBC, the leading home construction warranty and insurance provider.

In addition, Stonewater will be providing a high-quality public realm for new and existing residents to enjoy.

All the homes being delivered at the former Holmer Trading Estate will be manufactured along production lines at ilke Homes 250,000 sq ft factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire – a facility that is backed by a £30 million investment from the Government’s national housing agency, Homes England.

The company also said that thanks to precision-engineering techniques, the homes being delivered will be some of the UK’s most energy-efficient. All homes will achieve at least a ‘B’ Energy Performance Certificate rating, making them more energy-efficient than 92 percent of the UK’s housing stock.

The energy performance of each home also translates into huge cost savings for Stonewater’s customers, who could save hundreds of pounds on energy bills each year, as it is far cheaper to heat and power one of ilke’s homes compared to a traditionally built due to increased levels of air tightness.

Tom Heathcote, executive director of development at ilke Homes, said: “Skyrocketing house prices, rising energy bills and near double-digital inflation means many households are faced with an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.

"More now than ever, it is crucial we ramp up the delivery of energy-efficient affordable housing, so it’s great to reach the latest milestone on site."

Matt Crucefix, director of development (south and west) at Stonewater, said: “College Road is our first development with Ilke Homes, and it’s been an exciting project to get underway.

"We’re really proud to see the first eight homes delivered on site and look forward to seeing the rest of the scheme take shape.”

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