A leading housing association has signed a £100m+ contract to accelerate the number of low carbon, factory-built homes it builds every year.
Bromford has sealed a four-year contract with MMC developers ilke Homes and Hadley Group to provide hundreds of new homes across the West Midlands and West of England.
The first homes to be delivered as part of the partnerships will be a 28-home zero carbon development in Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire delivered through Bromford’s in-house construction team and ilke Homes. The units are due to be installed in the spring of 2023 over an eight-week period. They will come equipped with air source heat pumps and solar panels that, when combined, will reduce operational emissions — such as those generated from utilities such as heating and electricity — by 100%. Plans for the scheme were approved by Cotswold District Council in February.
High levels of energy-efficiency — achieved by increased air tightness and the use of low-carbon technologies — will translate into huge cost savings for Bromford’s customers, at a time when the annual energy price cap is predicted to be raised to more than £3,000 in October.
Development and Asset Management Innovation Lead Mike Craggs said: “Providing affordable homes that are cheaper to run and heat is going to be increasingly important for our customers and these partnerships will allow us to make sure the homes that are provided of the highest, EPC-A standard. We’re thrilled to have signed these contracts with ilke Homes and Hadley Group to become our main providers of MMC homes for the years ahead, and are looking forward to work starting on our first development in Gloucestershire.
“Utilising modern methods of construction is key to us delivering the number of affordable, energy-efficient homes we are aiming to build during the next five years. Starting with 50 homes in the first year of the contract, we will increase this to up to 200 homes a year by 2025 and are looking forward to getting started on our first site later this year.”
Tom Heathcote, Executive Director of Development at ilke Homes, commented: “ilke Homes are increasingly becoming a partner of choice for housing associations looking to scale up the delivery of energy-efficient, affordable housing. Much like many councils and housing associations across the country, Bromford and Cotswold District Council understand the role MMC have to play in enhancing the build quality of homes and their ability to speed up construction programmes. We look forward to working closely with all delivery partners to bring this scheme forward.”
Ben Towe, Group Managing Director at Hadley Group said: “Hadley Group is delighted to be a Bromford Homes delivery partner for new modular home where better efficiency delivers greater affordability for everyone. The housing crisis is not only about more homes, but also about better performance of those homes so they cost less to heat, light, helping people out of fuel poverty.”
Paul Nicoll, Director of Advanced Methods of Construction (AMC) added: “Bromford have taken the initiative by selecting Hadley HOME as a delivery partner and we are excited that together we can develop more homes faster than before by embracing modular. Bromford will achieve the highest EPC rating, benefiting both the environment through efficiency and reducing the cost of living for those living and working from home.”
In 2021 Bromford was named one of Homes England’s strategic partners, securing £240m to develop new homes, 25% of which have to utilise modern methods of construction. Bromford is one of the biggest builders of affordable housing in the country, completing 1,224 homes in the past financial year. For the past two years it has been the biggest builder of social rent homes* and aims to develop more than 7,000 homes over the next five years.
*As published in Inside Housing Top 50 Biggest Builders 2022, 27th June 2022
