Haringey has become the first council in London to provide a specially designed modular development that tackles homelessness and helps those in pressing need of a safe and secure roof over their heads. Deputy Mayor of London, Tom Copley, joined Leader of Haringey Council, Cllr Peray Ahmet and Greg Hill, Deputy Chief Executive from Hill Group for the official handover of the 33 new modular homes, known as SoloHaus, on Wednesday 13th October. “I’m proud to be part of this joint initiative to help people move on securely from a life of sleeping rough. We know we can’t tackle this problem alone, which is why I’m so delighted our collaboration with Hill is helping us deliver good quality, transitional housing that ensures people in need can get their lives back on track,” said Cllr Peray Ahmet, Leader of Haringey Council. “Tackling homelessness remains one of our top priorities and during the pandemic we offered emergency accommodation to over 1000 people sleeping rough. We are determined to continue our efforts and support people off the streets in our borough.” The scheme in Ermine Road, Tottenham is a partnership between Haringey Council and Hill Group, with half of the homes at Olive Morris Court donated by Hill and significant further funding provided by the GLA and central government. It has also had support from Citizens UK, a nationwide charity dedicated to taking action for social justice. It is the first project in London to benefit from Foundation 200, a £15 million initiative by Hill to donate 200 modular homes on small plots of unused land within the next five years to organisations supporting people experiencing homelessness. Situated on a former storage yard, the modular development delivers accommodation for 33 people, helping rebuild their lives after a period of rough sleeping. “We are delighted to be working with Haringey Council to provide the first specially built modular follow-on homes in London. As an important part of our Foundation 200 initiative to gift modular homes, I am confident that this new development will make a tangible difference to people experiencing homelessness in Haringey. I hope this project will give many residents the opportunity to rebuild their lives in a safe, secure and comfortable environment. To maximise the benefits of this initiative, we will be seeking to employ tenants in our developments within Haringey and adjacent boroughs,” added Andy Hill, Chief Executive, The Hill Group. SoloHaus is specially designed, furnished and fully equipped for a single person to move straight into. Each modular home provides independent space and a clean, safe and comfortable environment for residents to make the transition to more permanent accommodation. The homes have energy costs of £5 a week and are designed to Future Homes Standards, exceeding building regulations for energy efficiency and sound insulation, and with a design life of 60 years. A team of Haringey Council staff will provide specialist support to enable residents to adjust and settle into their new homes, as well as to tackle the issues that led them to becoming homeless. There will be a presence on site 24/7 and we are working across the public and community sector to deliver wider improvements to the local area.

Premier Modular, one of the UK’s leading offsite specialists, has achieved BOPAS accreditation for its modular living solutions, following its expansion into the residential sector. “It is fantastic to see Premier’s expansion into the residential sector, building on their vast experience in other areas. BOPAS is an independent, standards-led benchmark for modular housing, providing long-term assurance to lenders and valuers that homes built using non-traditional methods of construction offer longevity and reliability,” said Jeff Maxted of BOPAS and a Director of BLP Technical Services (UK). Established in 1956 and with a long track record in offsite construction, Premier has five factories at its production centre in East Yorkshire. It has capacity to produce 100,000sqm of living space per year, with the opportunity to increase output to meet demand. Premier specialises in the offsite construction of affordable, sustainable and fast-track apartments, studios and multi-occupancy buildings for social housing, build-to-rent, schemes to address homelessness, hotels, and student accommodation. It works as a partner to local authorities, housing providers, developers, and contractors. “We are immensely proud to receive this industry accreditation which reinforces our expansion into the residential sector. BOPAS provides our local authority and developer clients as well as funders and mortgage lenders with complete reassurance of best practice and that our modular apartment solutions meet or exceed the required standards,” commented Dan Allison, Director of Premier Modular. “We have ambitious plans to bring innovation and sustainability to the UK housing market. We already have a number of residential projects on site and nearing completion and are receiving a high level of enquiries for new schemes. We anticipate the demand for offsite construction will continue to increase to help address the housing crisis and the drive for net zero.” BOPAS – the Buildoffsite Property Assurance Scheme – is the industry benchmark to give funders, principal mortgage lenders, valuers, and purchasers the confidence that homes built using offsite construction will have a life of at least 60 years. It also demonstrates the integrity of the offsite system, consistent delivery, and long-term performance to specification. “The residential sector is facing considerable challenges – from the shortage of skilled labour to the need for increased productivity and improved quality in housebuilding to meet the rising demand for new homes. By moving the construction of new apartment schemes offsite and into a more controllable factory environment, we can produce energy-efficient homes with less impact on the environment, to reduced programmes, and significantly enhanced quality,” added Dan. Premier has been awarded full BOPAS accreditation for design, manufacturing and construction. A rigorous assessment was carried out by BOPAS, which audited all aspects of Premier’s operations, including quality control systems, health and safety, project management, and interfaces, from design through to offsite manufacture, construction, and handover.