Partnership to deliver eco-friendly modular homes in Neath

Modular housing company ilke Homes has partnered with developer Abode Waterstone to deliver six factory-built affordable homes on a site near Neath, South Wales.

The new project – called Abode Coed Darcy – is part of a wider scheme that is transforming the former BP Llandarcy Oil Refinery site into a 4,000-home development with on-site primary and secondary schools, a district centre, community facilities and green open spaces all being built.

ilke Homes will deliver the new homes, with Adobe Waterstone managing the on-site development.

Coastal Housing Group, one of Wales’ biggest housing associations, will manage the eco-friendly homes, all of which will be manufactured by ilke Homes at its factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

“Whilst a brownfield site, the location is very popular for the commuter buyer,” says Andrea Gardner, sales and marketing director at Abode Waterstone. “The creation of this village was a good opportunity to join in partnership and led us to launch our new concept to the middle market ‘Abode Waterstone’.”

The site will host high-quality, factory-built homes that will help lower the UK’s carbon footprint. All six homes will have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least an ‘A’, making them more energy efficient than 99% of all new builds in the UK.

During the manufacturing stage, the company is able to reduce waste by up to 80% due to digital technology generating precise estimates of materials needed. Of the waste produced, more than 90% is recycled.

Large parts of the former refinery are being recycled across the 4,000-home site to cut down on waste and save on emissions:

• 600,000 litres of oil has been recovered and recycled through an extraction process

• 200,000 tonnes of concrete has been recovered and crushed and will remain on-site to provide recycled hard core for buildings

• 5,000 tonnes of steel recovered with the majority being reused on site

• 95% of material extracted from the site has been reused during construction

The scheme is utilising the Welsh government’s 2017 Innovative Housing Programme (IHP), which is available to organisations – such as housing associations, local councils and developers – that use innovative techniques to support the delivery of new homes.

In February 2020, the Welsh government announced a £45 million investment into modular housing in an attempt to increase the delivery of social and affordable homes. The new funding will also help modular housebuilders, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, develop supply chains, factories and skills development centres.

The UK government also has high ambitions for modular housing, with ministers giving the UK construction industry the target of becoming the world leader in modular construction within the next decade to help meet housebuilding targets.

Tristin Willis, executive director of construction at ilke Homes, comments: “The Abode Coed Darcy site demonstrates the evolution of British industry, as the UK takes steps to becoming a more forward-thinking, sustainable economy.”

“If the government is to meet net-zero targets by 2050, diversifying the supply of new housing will be crucial. Modular housing provides a greener method of delivery for investors, developers, housing associations and local authorities looking to rapidly scale up the delivery of affordable housing.”