Project Etopia opens modular housing factory

Modular home developer Project Etopia has opened a new factory capable of producing 2,000 houses a year.

The 50,000 sq ft factory in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, is a collaboration with partner company 4wall - the producer of a panelised construction system.

The factory can produce five three-bedroom homes per day, although there are plans to expand the facility in the future with the addition of two more machines, which would grow capacity to 6,000 units per year.

Its plant machinery allows for a continuous line production process that can create tens of thousands of panels of different sizes. A 110 sq/m shell, made up of lightweight 97kg panels, can be constructed by three people in eight hours and they can be stacked up to 14 storeys high.

Project Etopia is in the process of building 47 modular eco-homes in Corby, Northamptonshire, and 4wall units rolling off the production line in Ellesmere Port will be used to complete the project.

Joseph Daniels, CEO of Project Etopia, said: "This is an exciting and important milestone for us that will help us achieve our ambition to produce 21,500 eco-modular homes by 2025.

"This is a critical time for house building in the UK with homes still not being built quickly enough, locking millions of people out of the property market.

"Our modular homes can be built incredibly quickly, and still be given a luxury finish, smart technology and sustainability features as standard."