ilke Homes secures Rushden development to deliver 150 homes

Fast-growing modular housing company ilke Homes has secured a site for residential development in Rushden, Northamptonshire, that has the potential to deliver up to 150 homes.

The deal, brokered by Savills’ Nottingham office, will see ilke Homes work closely with East Northamptonshire Council, Rushden Town Council and the local community in order to secure a planning permission as part of the adopted Neighbourhood Plan.

Prepared by Rushden Town Council, the plan will put in place a locally derived development framework to manage and focus on growth opportunities within the town. The plan was officially adopted in 2018 and covers a plan period up until 2031.

The announcement comes just weeks after Nottinghamshire County Council appointed ilke Homes to deliver up to 140 modular homes on a derelict site in Arnold, Nottingham.

Recent figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government revealed there were 1,207 households on housing waiting lists in East Northamptonshire in 2019, a 3% year-on-year increase.

The UK government has made clear building more homes on brownfield sites is ‘a key target of its nationwide housing strategy’. Doing so is intended to boost the number of homes being built and aid the UK’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

By manufacturing homes off-site, ilke Homes is able to achieve huge carbon savings during construction and once homes are operational. Precision-engineering techniques also mean that if granted full planning permission, the homes in Rushden will be some of the most energy-efficient in the country.

ilke Homes manufactures all homes along a production line at the company’s 250,000 sq ft factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

Executive director of development at ilke Homes, Tom Heathcote, says: “We now look forward to working with the local authority and the key stakeholders to unlock the site for the delivery of much-needed affordable family housing.”

“If granted planning permission, ilke Homes will deliver up to 150 high-quality homes which will be some of the most sustainable in the UK thanks to our modular technology.”

Ann Taylor, director at Savills, adds: “We are delighted to be working with ilke Homes to bring this vacant site forwards to deliver a sustainable housing scheme. We look forward to seeing this development unfold through the planning process and then on the ground, changing the landscape over the forthcoming years.”