It’s a long running theme for those in the housing sector that modular building or off-site manufacturing (OSM) has been the future for as long as anyone can remember. However, it may be time to change the script…
This year’s Independent Review of Affordable Housing Supply highlighted that modern methods of construction were a key part of the future of social housing in Wales, currently taking up only 1% of development but anticipated to increase to 20% over the next ten years, with funding models to support it. To further encourage this approach, Welsh Government has been asked to develop a strategy to map out how Wales could further use OSM and other modern methods to deliver new zero carbon homes along with an appropriate timetable for actioning it. This strategy has been co-produced to include a range of perspectives from the sector and has been recently published for a “soft consultation” over the summer.
The strategy can be accessed below and highlights the benefits, challenges, potential barriers as well as a forecast for action points to implement it. The strategy also states clearly that collaboration and partnership working between RSLs, local authorities, SMEs and the private sector will be an essential part of the approach and that public funding is “unlikely to be forthcoming for homes produced by individual organisations working alone” so the need for all of these stakeholders to fully understand the case for OSM, neatly summarised in the recent document, has never been greater.
