A whole new twist on ‘moving house’ in Telford
Pre-built homes have been lifted in place at the first development of its kind in Shropshire.
A giant crane was brought in to lift the first of the homes onto the development on Gordon Road in Trench.
It is the first development in the county that will see modular, or factory built homes, used for social housing and is being done by the Wrekin Housing Trust.
The four two-bedroom homes, which were constructed in a factory, were transported by lorry to Gordon Road, where they were lifted into position by the crane.
The homes are a pilot scheme by the trust to test build speed, quality and tenant satisfaction, before it decides whether to go ahead with more modular builds in the future.
The buildings have been designed to give tenants the best possible living environment.
On the ground floor, each unit will have a living room to the front of the property, modern kitchen and dining area, as well as a WC. Upstairs, there’s a master bedroom, a second bedroom, along with a bathroom.
Each house also has an allocated off-road parking space and front and rear gardens.
David Hall, from The Wrekin Housing Trust, said: “This has been a very exciting project for The Wrekin Housing Trust and it was quite a sight to see the houses arrive on the back of lorries and then be lifted into place.
“Modular homes are up to 70 per cent quicker to both build and install than a traditional house, but they are also high quality and innovatively designed buildings with a 60-year life cycle, similar to that of traditional bricks and mortar buildings, as well as insurance backed warranty.
“Now that the houses have been delivered, the next phase will include fitting out the properties, connecting the gas, electricity and water supplies, as well as the landscaping work. Once everything has been completed, we expect tenants to move into the houses this summer.”
The installation of these modular homes is part of the wider development of social housing at the Gordon Road site by The Wrekin Housing Trust. which is one of the largest social housing providers in the West Midlands.
The entire development will feature a total of 31 properties, made up of four one-bed homes, 25 two-bedroom homes, one three-bedroom house and one four-bedroom house.
The development is bringing £9.4million into the wider economy and creating 72 jobs, including four apprenticeships.
