Rollalong has been working with an innovative housing association to offer modular solutions that deliver improved quality of life for those living in social housing across Dorset and Somerset.
The UK has been in the midst of a housing crisis for the last 15 years. Key economists are citing the creation of more social housing as one of the most effective ways to get the country back on track.
In response to this, housing association Magna Housing recently announced plans to build more affordable homes in Dorset and Somerset for people to rent and buy. Magna has ambitious plans to accelerate its current brief to build 200 new affordable homes a year over the next decade and is taking a modularfirst approach to offsite to deliver this.
Rollalong – one of the largest offsite design and build contractors in the south, has been selected via the LHC suite of frameworks to support these plans. One of the benefits of offsite production is the speed at which the build can be completed. As Rollalong manufactures the modular houses in its quality-controlled factory, the groundworks can begin on site simultaneously.
Steve Chivers, Managing Director at Rollalong Limited, sees this as a golden opportunity to support the reversal of the housing crisis locally. “For many years people have been struggling to get onto the property ladder,” explains Steve. “Or have found the lack of appropriate social housing has led to them living in unsuitable accommodation. In partnership with Magna Housing we’re looking forward to providing a wide range of high quality options to suit a variety of housing needs.
Rollalong’s in-house design team has developed four housing designs for the initial call-off order of 25 homes that are expected to be complete by the end of September 2019, ready for onsite installation.
Paul Read, Magna Housing’s Head of Development, said: “Getting predictable quality and achieving the standards we look for means we have to tackle the now well publicised performance gap in traditional construction. Our customers and communities are demanding that we build homes, drive down the cost of living and reduce the environmental impacts in the whole life cycle of homes. Rollalong were selected because of their decades of experience and investment in systems and processes that demonstrate their commitment to delivering quality time and time again.
Modular buildings offer a valuable opportunity to housing providers as 85% of the build can be completed offsite, leading to a reduction in waste and lower carbon emissions during the build process. Both companies are dedicated to keeping the environmental impacts of the build, both off and onsite, to a minimum.
Dorchester-based Magna Housing operates in Dorset and Somerset and five of the initial sites are within a one-hour radius of Rollalong’s manufacturing facility. The close proximity to the final sites means minimum transportation impacts for the modular buildings, as they are transferred from Rollalong’s factory to the building site on the back of lorries. The onsite works are due to begin later this year with the first new homeowners or tenants taking up residency in early 2020.
