The first spade in the ground has taken place at Places for People’s latest development in Bordon, Hampshire.
Work is underway at Places for People’s second development in Bordon – Maple Fields, located off Station Road – which features a collection of two and three-bedroom semi-detached and detached homes and one and two-bedroom apartments.
Following on from the success of the first development in Bordon at Woolmer Copse, Maple Fields is bringing 60 new homes to the area, which is situated a stone’s throw away from Prince Philip Park. The properties will also boost the supply of new homes and make a positive contribution towards the supply of affordable housing in the area with homes available for sale through Shared Ownership and also to rent.
43 of the 60 homes will be modular, forming part of a wider £100 million joint venture between Places for People and ilke Homes leading modular housing company, which was announced in 2019. In the largest deal to date for Britain’s modular housing sector, Places for People agreed to purchase 750 units from ilke Homes. The two companies now have a modular development pipeline in excess of 1,000 units across a number of development schemes that are either already contracted or under negotiation.
Places for People’s Managing Director for the South West region, Greg Hilton, said: “We are really pleased to be able to build on our success at Woolmer Copse and we are confident Maple Fields will achieve the same standards and create a sense of community, which are key priorities for us.
“I am thrilled that work is underway on these high-quality new homes in Bordon and we are delighted to be working with ilke Homes once again. Thanks to their standardised processes, we are able to provide affordable housing in a quicker time period whilst delivering 43 homes to the highest quality and ready for occupation over a four-month period, reducing the build programme to a fraction of that which would be expected using traditional methods.
“At Maple Fields we’re creating a range of affordable and well-designed houses and apartments which will give our customers unrivalled choice and quality in Bordon.”
Phil Pearson, Development Director at ilke Homes, said: “Our joint venture with Places for People remains a sector-defining moment for the modular housing industry. The latest scheme we’re delivering for the Group is a great example of how offsite manufacturing can help speed up the construction of new-builds and improve quality while ensuring that the homes delivered are some of the most energy-efficient in the country.”
Homes England, the Government’s national housing agency, has been championing modular housing as a solution to speeding up the delivery of affordable housing across the UK. Last year, the Government’s national housing agency announced that housing associations looking to sign deals under the new £11.5 billion Affordable Housing Programme will have to commit to using modern methods of construction (MMC) to deliver at least a quarter of their pipelines.
