Green light for 154 new modular homes

Legal & General Modular Homes has gained planning consent to deliver 154 homes, using modular construction, at an eight acre site on Portholme Road, Selby in North Yorkshire.

From its factory in Sherburn-in-Elmet in Yorkshire, the business aims to build up its annual housing delivery to 3,000 modular homes a year in 2024, bringing rapid and disruptive change to the construction industry.

Selby is the first scheme, where Legal & General Modular Homes will deliver a full development proposition from buying land, developing the product, achieving planning consent through to delivery.

The development will provide up to 130 jobs across the supply chain, and will see the company recruit a further 50 employees to support the scheme.

Legal & General and its housing businesses say that during the lockdown they have continued to pay 100% of employees’ wages and have not applied for any financial support from the Government.

With additional measures to accommodate strict social distancing, last week operatives were able to return safely to the 550,000 sq ft manufacturing facility.

A total of 75 employees have now returned to the factory as part of the gradual phasing back of its 250 staff.

The Portholme Road scheme includes up to 30% affordable housing.

It will be developed on the site of the former Selby civic centre, bringing back into use a site which has remained vacant for seven years. It will incorporate a mix of contemporary terraced houses and low-rise apartments.

There will be 76 one and two bedroom apartments, alongside 78 two and three bedroom houses.

Rosie Toogood, CEO of Legal & General Modular Homes, said: “Using modular construction, Legal & General will be able to deliver high quality homes at a much faster rate than through traditional construction.

“In a post COVID-19 crisis environment, the speed of delivery will be more important than ever before.

“Our journey to revolutionise the UK’s construction industry is well underway, and planning consent at Portholme Road, Selby is testament to this.

“This scheme, along with our proposals at Bonnington Walk in Bristol, will showcase the benefits of modular construction.

“Achieving planning permission for this Selby scheme is a fantastic milestone for the business, and a major achievement for the team, particularly set against the current backdrop.”

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