New housing proposals have been put forward for a "poisoned" former landfill site in Holmfirth.

Planning chiefs hope to use non-traditional techniques to build 64 modular homes at New Mill Road, with ready-made units manufactured off site and craned onto foundations to speed up the building process.

Concerns have previously been expressed about creating a housing estate on the derelict land, which is said to be contaminated by asbestos, mercury, arsenic and other toxins.

The latest scheme for 64 homes - to be called Holme Chase - would see three-bed semi-detached homes across the 5.5-acre site, which was formerly occupied by the Midlothian Garage.

Watch: Six steps to a planning application

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

Play now

A report to the council's Strategic Planning Committee said: "The site is allocated for housing in the Kirklees Local Plan, and planning permission has previously been granted for housing.

"Whilst this permission has been granted, the development has not come forward, and as such the site is classified as a stalled site. In order to meet the councils housing delivery targets challenging sites such as this will need to be brought forward."

Sean Fallon of civil engineers Fallon Construction said the site was "appealing" and said his company wanted to create a "wow factor" with homes geared towards first-time buyers.

He said the steel-frame homes, which are insulated with rockwool, are "a third less to run per year" than standard houses - or 1 a day.

He added: "We believe this is the way to tackle housing demand; brownfield sites. A lot of other developers cannot look at brownfield sites because of the cost but that's all we've ever dealt with.

"We don't build on greenfield sites whatsoever."

He called the proposed development "a great opportunity to embrace change" and said the site was "a guinea pig" for further projects.

Several schemes have been previously put forward for the site, which has been allocated for housing in Kirklees Council's Local Plan.

A Tesco store was refused in 2011. Four years later plans were submitted for 56 homes with six being affordable. That plan eventually stalled despite approval by planners. It followed warnings of "huge problems" attached to building on the extinct tip.

In 2018 former Conservative councillor Ken Sims said overlaying the tip with a metre of topsoil was "absolutely crazy" and that the waste should be removed prior to the commencement of building.

He warned that Kirklees Council would bear the responsibility if children in the future suffered catastrophic health defects.

"I can tell you, because I'm old enough to know, what went down that tip. Asbestos, mercury, arsenic. Coal tar from the coking plant lower down and all the toxic chemicals that go with that.

"I don't want children in the future to be born with deformities, brain tumours and cancers that have been outcoming when some of these sites have been used."

Clr Sims was backed by his ward colleague Clr Nigel Patrick who objected to development of the site "in the strongest possible terms".

We have expanded to cover the whole of Yorkshire through brand new channels and accounts.

To ensure you don't miss a thing, make sure you're following our new social media accounts:

Clr Patrick remains of the opinion that homes should not be built on the site.

Planning officers have acknowledged that measures were needed to "decontaminate and remediate" the site and that "no dwellings can be occupied until the agreed remediation for the whole site has been agreed, implemented and validated."

Planning officer Bill Topping said the council expected a planning application very soon, which his department would be supporting.

Link:
Plans for 1-a-day homes on land 'poisoned with asbestos, mercury and arsenic' - ExaminerLive

In California, there is this debate between market dynamics and the need to invest in some sort of subsidized housing, said Matt Schwartz, president and CEO of the California Housing Partnership, a San Francisco-based nonprofit createdby the legislature in 1988.

Twenty-eight states and Washington, D.C., last year passed a variety of legislation that addresses the housing affordability problem, from tax credits for developers to rental assistance and eviction protections for residents, said Sarah Scherer, a policy associate at the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonprofit with offices in Denver and D.C.California, Washington and Hawaii passed the most laws.

This year, legislators in eight states pre-filed housing bills before their sessions began, Scherer said.

Both Democratic and Republican governors are calling for affordable housing fixes. In New Hampshire, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu backs a pair of bills filed by a bipartisan group of young lawmakers that would offer localities more planning assistance and tax incentives and require planning and zoning boards to streamline building approvals.

It really is an issue that affects everyone, but especially young people, said Republican state Rep. Joe Alexander, whos sponsoring one of the housing bills.

Among the diverse efforts, state zoning proposals have become a hot topic, said Flora Arabo, national senior director of state and local policy at Enterprise Community Partners, a housing nonprofit based in Columbia, Maryland. Ive only seen the conversation increasing.

In addition to Wieners bill in California, Democrats have put forward legislation that would allow the construction of accessory dwelling units also known as granny flats or duplexes and townhomes on single-family plots in Virginia, Maryland and Nebraska.

Oregon last year became the first state to require most cities to allow duplexes on single-family properties, and larger cities to allow townhouses, triplexes and fourplexes.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, filed legislation that would let cities and towns make zoning changes by a simple majority vote.

Its market economics, said Democratic Virginia state Del. Ibraheem Samirah, of his proposals to allow accessory dwelling units and duplexes on all single-family plots. Its a zero-cost solution.

A Georgia bill would copy North Carolina and Arkansas and ban cities from requiring most one- or two-family homes to have a particular aesthetic, such as a certain number of windows. Supporters of the bill argue that such requirements violate private property rights and can raise development costs.

I dont want the government to tell me what color my house has to be, said Georgia state Rep. Vance Smith, the bills Republican sponsor.

Wiener said his bill would increase the supply of both market-rate and affordable housing, and he recently announced amendments that would give cities more control over how they increase density.

But his critics arent satisfied. When Wiener held a news conference in Oakland this month to tout his Senate Bill 50, he was shouted down by members of an anti-homelessness group called Moms for Housing, who in an online statement argued that the bill would benefit real estate speculators.

Americans struggle to find affordable rental housing nationwide not just in expensive, coastal cities. Everybodys feeling the pinch, said Chris Herbert, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

Nearly half of U.S. renters spend more than a third of their earnings on housing, according to the center, down 3 percentage points from 2011. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) counts people who spend that much on housing as cost-burdened.

However, the share of cost-burdened middle-class renters increased and the share among very-low-income renters stayed the same.

Inexpensive units $800 or less a month are disappearing, the center found. At least half of the low-cost units in metro areas such as Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon, havegone since 2011. Most new housing these days is built for the high end of the market, the center found.

Fewer people are experiencing homelessness today than in 2011, but the number has ticked back up in recent years. Since 2015, the homeless population jumped by double-digit percentages in five Western states, led by California at 30%, according to HUD.

Housing experts say many factors are to blame for housing price increases. Land, labor and material costs have gone up in many jurisdictions. Developers have been slow to embrace cheaper production technologies, such as factory-built modular homes.

Local regulations and planning bureaucracy can restrict what can be built and slow projects down. City and state development fees and requirements add to building costs.

And as housing prices have risen, many peoples earnings havent kept pace.Increasing rents alone are not problematic, if wages can keep up, said Arabo, of Enterprise Community Partners. They just havent.

Meanwhile, inadequate congressional funding means only a quarter of very-low-income people get the federal housing vouchers they are eligible for.

The federal government stopped paying for new public housing decades ago, leaving cities and states to piece together money to subsidize units.

Housing affordability is particularly pressing in California, which is home to 12% of U.S. residents but, according to HUD, 27% of the nations homeless people.

Homebuilders and real estate agents there have championed efforts to roll back zoning regulations, such as Wieners plan to override single-family zoning rules near public transit and job centers.

In California, it can take 20 years to complete a development that in Texas would take a year or less, said Dan Dunmoyer, president and CEO of the Sacramento-based California Building Industry Association. Local fees can increase the price of a California home by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Its cheaper to build three units as a triplex than it is to build three separate single-family houses, Dunmoyer said. You get some economies of scale.

Cities, however, oppose bills that would take away local control. We obviously have serious concerns about allowing developers to dictate land-use policy in our jurisdictions, said Jason Rhine, assistant legislative director for the League of California Cities, a Sacramento-based association.

The league opposes Senate Bill 50 and expects California lawmakers to put forward new bills this year that would override local rules, such as by allowing the construction of accessory dwelling units.

I dont know where were going to end up on those, Rhine said, but thats certainly been a hot topic among cities.

The league supports a bill that would give cities money for affordable housing and other development projects. But Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last year vetoed a prior version, saying that a program costing $2 billion a year should be part of budget negotiations.

Zoning changes put a much smaller dent in the state budget. Legislativeanalysts projectedit would cost about $325,000 to administer Senate Bill 50.

Some affordable housing advocates worry that increasing the overall housing supply will accelerate gentrification and fail to create more homes for low-income people.

Were really interested in legislation that specifically targets families that are struggling the most, said David Zisser, associate director of Housing California, a Sacramento-based group advocating for people who are homeless or in need of affordable housing.

California lawmakers have introduced so many housing bills that they may end up passing a package that addresses land-use policy and money for affordable housing, he said. We need both.

Existing state law may prod city leaders to make zoning changes anyway, Rhine said.

Thats because California law requires cities to plan to house all residents and update their plans every eight years. Some cities are seeing big increases in housing need this planning cycle, Rhine said. Our cities are going to have to increase allowable densities, in all likelihood, in order to address those numbers.

Some governors this year have proposed big spending increases for affordable housing and combating homelessness. Minnesotas Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has called for investing $276 million in affordable housing. Newsom in California has proposed spending $1 billion to address homelessness.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige, a Democrat, wants to build 17,000 affordable rental units. And Floridas Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has recommended spending $387 million to fully fund the states affordable housing programs.

Yet some activists say the federal government needs to step in. I dont see the states and the cities replacing the loss of federal funding, said Paul Boden, executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project, a San Francisco-based group that advocates for homeless people.

Boden said hes weary of state and local programs that fall short of building enough subsidized housing.Thats why hes backing a long-shot proposal from U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, to spend $800 billion on 8.5 million new units of public housing.

Lets get freaking real, Boden said, lets pass Omars bill.

Sophie Quinton, Stateline

Go here to read the rest:
Single-Family Homes No Longer Sacred as States Turn to Zoning Laws to Lower Housing Costs - FlaglerLive.com

WHEN Lauren Harrison Short moved into a Hugg home at Chapel Riverside in Southampton following the breakdown of her marriage, the last thing she expected to find was love. But the she fell for neighbour Craig Lindley who was also renting there, and the couple now live together in Craigs Hugg.

The first pop-up housing scheme from Hugg Homes offers 22 high-spec modular mixed tenure homes. Private rents are below local market rates, making them an attractive alternative to over-crowded shared houses.

Lauren (pictured below with Craig), who works as an accountant for a cruise company in the centre of Southampton, needed an affordable place to live after separating from her husband.

She was looking for somewhere convenient and budget-friendly, so when she came across Chapel Riverside she knew straight away that it would be perfect.

Since moving into my Hugg, I have turned my life around, continues Lauren. I found an affordable place to live, which was an important factor given that I suddenly found myself living alone. The location, price and the fact that it was fully furnished all made it ideal.

It is spacious, high quality and a great design and all feels very well put together.

I have also just passed all my accountancy exams, and, most excitingly, I unexpectedly found love with Craig. I introduced myself to him in May last year and we met up for a drink with one of our other neighbours. We soon found that we had lots in common and we started dating. Craig is in a similar position, going through a divorce and living in a Hugg because of the great location and the reduced rent.

We decided to move in together when the contract on my Hugg came up. We both like the location and particularly love the great community atmosphere that has evolved here. Craig works as a health and safety manager, often commuting up the M3, and has two children who regularly stay over and enjoy sleeping in their bunk beds in the second bedroom.

Hugg homes are designed as a temporary, rather than a long-term, housing solution, and are erected on land thats lying dormant while going through the planning process.

Affordability is such a buzzword but the costs here are a significant saving on renting elsewhere in the locality, says Lauren. We are hoping to live here for the next year to 18 months, which will enable us to build up savings and then buy somewhere on our own. But for now it is perfect. We love our Hugg.

Hugg Homes is an innovative temporary solution to local housing needs, brought to the market by housebuilder Inland Homes. It aims to utilise land thats inactive while awaiting planning consent a process that can take years to create pop-up, developments for social and private rent in locations across the South and South East.

These are let in line with local housing allowance, offering low-income households accommodation that doesnt compromise on quality, space or design.

The developments consist of containerised modular units, which are manufactured to order, and arrive on site kitted out with kitchens, integrated appliances, tiled shower rooms, flooring and electric heating. The homes can be reused and moved easily.

A choice of one, two and three-bed Huggs means they can accommodate single occupants, couples and families, and some are let fully furnished. Each is carefully designed to maximise space. Residents also benefit from secure external storage and parking, and landscaped courtyards and play spaces. Rents start at 656 per month for the Southampton development, and Hugg Homes is working to deliver another 65 units across three new schemes in the next six months.

hugghomes.co.uk

Read the original post:
Lauren and Craig found more than just a bargain when they discovered their Hugg home - Metro Newspaper UK

Modular, recycled-shipping-container homes may be widely thought of as a practical and sustainable, but also temporary and often unattractive, living solution perhaps best suited for housing short-term workers or transitioning homeless people into long-term housing.

But this myth is being gradually busted, as such homes can be beautiful as well as extremely long-lasting, according to modular home company Honomobo.

The firms co-founder Daniel Engelman told Glacier Media in an interview, Its a new type of home, so theres still sometimes that psychological mindset that its a shipping container, so its meant to be shipped, its a temporary thing. But our clients no longer come to us with that mindset were past that. These homes are incredibly durable they can last hundreds of years, as opposed to the less-sustainable, 100-year lifespan of a typical wood-frame home.

Shipping-container homes represent a housing opportunity thats just as real as any house or condo, says Engelman, with banks willing to offer mortgages, and CMHC backing them as certified steel-framed modular homes. And, although this has not happened yet, Engelman says it will also be possible to resell the homes and the land they sit on in the usual way on the MLS.

Honomobo is only five years old, and interest in the company blew up about four years ago when it hit local media headlines for its innovation and flexible range of home models, and the story got picked up by some top architectural magazines. The interest from the public really hasnt let up since then, said Engelman.

The models range from the M-1 one-bedroom/one-module unit priced at $157,772 (not including land costs, consultation fees and construction fees) all the way up to the six-module/four-bedroom, 1,920-square-foot HO6 model, which has a base cost of $499,362. The M1 will be featured at the B.C. Home and Garden Show, along with a smaller studio unit that Engelman says is popular as a guest or office space.

There are a number of suppliers of shipping-container homes across North America, but Engelman says what makes Honomobo stand out is primarily the design. With the choice of one entire wall made up of glass, and two walls in the larger units, the homes look more like contemporary architecture than recycled shipping containers. And yet, says Engelman, the design of the home embraces its roots, with a minimalism and authenticity that he says is appropriate to the shipping container shell.

The glass wall also allows for indoor-outdoor living, and these huge windows can be upgraded to sliding doors which makes the homes live larger than they actually are, says Engelman.

As well as being durable, modular homes are extremely sustainable. These particular homes are highly energy-efficient and run 100 per cent off electricity, so they can be carbon-neutral if the owner runs it off solar power or hooks up to a green hydro supply.

Although Honomobo is based out of Edmonton, most of its customers are in B.C. and the Western United States. Engelman said there tends to be two kinds of customers. The first are those who choose smaller one- and two-module units as laneway homes (known in the States as accessory dwelling units or ADUs) placed in urban environments. The second are those who own land, often in somewhat more remote or island locations, and want an easy-to-build home for that site, either as a permanent residence or a vacation property.

Of the first type, Engelman said that most of his customers are in California, in pricey cities such as San Francisco, or in areas close to Metro Vancouver. He said, The smaller modules are often used by multi-generational families, where either the kids or the parents are moving into the ADU and the other part of the family is moving into the main house. It really helps with affordability and helps people stay in their neighbourhood, which in turn keeps neighbourhoods vibrant.

Engelman added that he was disappointed Honomobo has not yet been able to do this in the City of Vancouver, which has the same affordability issues as cities like San Francisco. The regulatory environment of Vancouver is really difficult to get anything done, so it just hasnt been possible for us yet, which is sad, he said. Instead weve done laneway homes in places such as Whistler, Squamish, and Port Coquitlam.

Also being featured at the B.C. Home and Garden Show is Honomobos Honomobar, which is a bar made out of part of a shipping container. Engelman says this "fun side project" has been a hit in areas where it has been placed as a pop-up bar in public plazas and in restaurant patios, and has prompted customers to order them for their own backyards or mini-businesses.

The B.C. Home and Garden Show runs from February 19-23 at B.C. Place Stadium. For more information, go to bchomeandgardenshow.com

More:
Shipping-container homes becoming a beautiful and permanent living solution - Vancouver Is Awesome

Thousands of Canadian veterans are homeless or without stable housing. Homes for Heroes, a charity, is trying to use construction and urban design to solve the problem.

The charity has begun building affordable urban villages in major cities across Canada where homeless veterans will be assisted in transitioning back into civilian life.

The villages consist of 15 to 25 individual tiny homes arranged in a park-like setting. All homes face inward to facilitate peer-to-peer support. Each home is less than 300 square feet in size, but fully equipped with all the features of a larger home. Each village also incorporates a central resource centre, counselling office, community garden and other amenities.

The charity completed its first village in Calgary last year and has a zoning application being processed for another one in Edmonton.

We saw this growing problem year after year, said David Howard, who co-founded Homes for Heroes with Calgary philanthropist Murray McCann. While its great to come up with an idea, we needed to make sure it is practical.

The team spent time meeting with more than 200 veterans living on the streets or in poverty. In doing that it really became clear that they want to be in a community of peers, said Howard. The barracks-style format really fits that. They can look out for one another while also having privacy.

Howard also explained that some who have lived on the street for a long time can feel a need to fill up a new space with possessions, leading to hoarding. He said this can impact their confidence and lead to further problems.

The whole program is to build a community and family of veterans who share the same experiences, and look out for one another, he said.

Howard noted that the groups first project in Calgary wouldnt have been possible without assistance from the construction community. ATCO a builder with expertise in designing, building delivering modular construction projects- built the 15-unitproject and donated $1.5 million to the charity.

These tiny homes showcase ATCOs urban design capabilities and will provide a home our military heroes will be proud to call their own a small gesture when measured against their herculean sacrifice, read a statement from the company.

Howard said the charity has also received massive support from PCL Construction and CP Rail. CP helped fundraise $900,000 for the charity and PCL has connected the project team with suppliers and contractors willing to donate or discount supplies and services.

Having those leaders in the construction industry is such a key to this success, said Howard.

Howard explained that modular construction allows the units to be prefabricated off-site while the site is being prepped. The method means a quick project delivery and minimal disruptions in the urban areas the charity plans to target.

In addition to assisting veterans, Howard sees the villages as opportunities to connect with the community and educate them about veterans. Veterans from the Calgary village are already out volunteering in the community. The village features park space that is open to the public and each unit is named after a fallen Canadian.

Howard explained that while the Canadian government estimates the country has 3,500 homeless veterans, he suspects the number is much higher. Those figures are from one-time counts done at homeless shelters where the respondents identify themselves as veterans something many veterans may not do for a variety of reasons. There are also many without homes who are only on the street part of the time or couch surf. He believes the number is closer to 5,000 or 6,000.

We are confident that a program like ours can end this issue in ten years, said Howard.

When veterans enter the village, a plan to transition back into housing and society is developed for their specific needs.

We are so grateful for Canadians and how they have shown respect for those who served, said Howard. Projects like this do not happen without their generosity.

Howard said the charity is currently in discussions to plan villages inB.C., Manitoba and Ontario.

View post:
Homes for Heroes tackling veteran homelessness with clever construction - Daily Commercial News

GOSHEN This short session of the Indiana Legislature is getting the reputation for bipartisanship and getting work done quickly. But Sen. Blake Doriot, R-Syracuse, the lone legislator at Friday mornings Advocate@8 at the Goshen Chamber of Commerce, said speed and cooperation were out of necessity.

Some longtime legislators have commented to Doriot, They have never seen anything like this, he told the group of about 15 people. It is moving so fast. Weve got pressure from the outside to finish early. Its called the NCAA. We will be without rooms if we do not get done. If youre in a hotel youre gone because the big money is coming to town.

One of the big items on everyones mind at the Statehouse is education, he said, adding legislators are decoupling teachers from iLEARN, the statewide student assessment testing.

Ill be honest, in my opinion, and probably the man in the downstairs office probably wont be happy with what Im saying, but testing is a mess in Indiana. I think there are more viable options to what we are doing. I have learned so much. I appreciate the Red for Ed people well most of them, Doriot said, causing the group to laugh. Some of them came down and talked with us. I was very appreciative. Dwight Moudy, who does a program Cowboy Ethics, he scheduled the best teacher meeting I have ever had with Elkhart teachers.

Doriot met with the teachers in the library and talked about how they have students who are coming in January in shorts or ragged sweatpants and Crocs or flip flops. Its terrible, he said. The teachers are ending up having to be parents to these kids.

Doriot said there was an option for teacher pay this year that was shot down over one simple reason: they were taking money from the teachers retirement fund for older retired teachers and wanting to move it over to fund the pay raise. In the meantime, he said, the state is trying to pay down the debt and get the retirement fund more solvent.

Were not going to jeopardize the retired teachers retirement fund to do this, he said. We will be looking at teacher increases in the budget year, where we should be.

In this short session, Doriot has proposed nine pieces of legislation.

Senate Bill 187 would relocate all of Elkhart Countys courts into one place, but it would not have to necessarily be in the county seat as state law mandates. This legislation would allow Elkhart County to build the courts building outside of Goshen if the County Commissioners so decide. Currently the courts are located in downtown Goshen and Elkhart. That bill passed out of the Senate by a vote of 48-1 and will now be considered by the House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 146 concerning sexual assault victim rights creates the right for a sexual assault victim to have a counselor present before and during a forensic medical exam or an interview with law enforcement or defense attorney. This has been referred to the Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law.

Doriot said this bill is a result of activism by actress Mariska Hargitay, who is making a nationwide push. It gives victims more rights during the process, he said. Legislators talked with prosecutors and believes they have made the bill better so victims of sexual assault dont feel so alone in the process. I cannot imagine the trauma [being alone] puts on an individual. There will be a hearing on that bill next week. So hopefully we can get that passed and get these victims some more help as they go through this traumatic time, he said.

Railroad crossing safety is another issue Doriot is addressing this session.

Currently Senate Bill 54 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Transportation. Doriot said his bill would require additional lanes and signs to be constructed at dangerous railroad crossings on state highways.

Senate Bill 100 would protect property owners whose homes are nonconforming to local zoning regulations and are then damaged by a disaster. He said, those homeowners could then rebuild their homes on the same footprint with less hassle with this bill. Building codes would still need to be observed.

Senate Bill 148 would protect housing affordability by limiting local regulation of modular homes in mobile home parks, according to information provided by Doriot. This just basically says that modular homes are a viable construction, he explained. The bill passed out of the Senate Committee on Local Government and will now move to the full Senate.

Senate Bill 55 seeks to reduce the cost of public works projects by allowing competitive bidding on piping materials for construction. This was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce and Technology. There were groups lobbying against this, Doriot explained. Its probably not going to go this session, he said. It will probably come back next year.

A number of residents had questions and comments for the legislator.

Moderator Vince Turner asked if there was any action on transparency in hospital billing.

Doriot, who is not in health, has not seen any of those bills yet concerning that issue, but they are moving through.

He and Sen. John Ruckelshaus have filed bill SB 232 that eliminates the property tax exemption for property owned by an Indiana nonprofit corporation and used by that corporation in the operation of a hospital.

Doriot said that when nonprofit hospitals buy private practices, those practices can become part of the nonprofit system. Then, if a city is jammed up against tax caps, its losing money. Maybe next year, he said, the legislators will look at the effect of expansion of nonprofits on local government.

Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman addressed the issue of trains parking in Goshen.

What were seeing in Goshen now is weve become the parking ground for the Elkhart rail yard, he said.

Aware that no one can put a stop to trains parking and blocking intersections after a federal ruling, Stutsman would like to see the railroad contact Elkhart County dispatch to tell them which roads are being blocked. That would allow dispatchers to give an alternate route to people or ambulances that are trying to get to the hospital.

Doriot said he thought that was a great idea. Although it would be impossible to write an amendment to a bill at this point, he would contact the railroad to see if they would be on board with the idea.

Continued here:
Bills quickly making their way through short session - Goshen News

Over 50% of our members provided detailed financial information to support the MPBAs survey report commissioned through the University of Salford. Using this market intelligence from 20182019, turnover in the modular and portable building sector exceeded 2,956m.

This figure excludes the turnover from the major players who have recently entered the volumetric modular arena, including banking giant Goldman Sachs investing 75m into modular housing business TopHat, as well as Japans biggest housebuilder striking a multimillion-pound deal that will see Sekisui House partner with Homes England and Urban Splash. This agreement will also see a 55m investment into Urban Splash but the largest deal by far was revealed by ilke Homes involving a 100m agreement with Places for People.

As volumetric modular systems make up 60-70% of offsite construction, these solutions arguably form a Modern Method of Construction (MMC) that is experiencing entirely different growth trends than other offsite approaches.

Respondents to the lack of government contracts with offsite components awarded in 2019 included Miles Rowland, chairman of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), who stated that government departments must align with offsite construction methods if we are to improve productivity, overcome the skills shortage and reduce carbon footprint.

Despite the research, there is balancing evidence to suggest that that the government remains supportive of Modern Methods of Construction. For instance, Mark Farmer, who leads the governments MMC plans, has announced the upcoming launch of the hi-tech construction corridor, which is set to generate 40bn annually and employ 80,000.

Esther McVey, the minister of state for housing and planning, has emphasised that its vital that we invest in new technology to get Britain building. Homes built using modern methods can be of higher quality, greener and built to last.

The MPBA report shows that the volumetric modular industry is thriving across all sectors. For example, at the heart of the education sector, the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) requests 450 new school facilities per annum. Modular construction has proven to be best-suited to meet such a demand due to its repeatability of units, environmentally conscious methodology and minimal disruption to existing school facilities.

Meanwhile, complex construction projects throughout the leisure sector require developers to cut costs, improve timelines and reduce onsite risks while maintaining building quality and durability. Modular construction is again best positioned to achieve this through its high performance, timeline savings of up to 25% and net savings of circa 7%.

Perhaps most challenging, the housing sector relies on modular and volumetric construction to work towards solving the housing crisis. Law firm Pinsent Masons reports that 15,000 modular homes are already built every year. The Guardian reports that the government proposes to make modular construction key to the build of 300,000 new homes per year by the mid-2020s. We can see that volumetric modular is already core to government plans for the future.

Many contemporary architects are embracing volumetric modular to achieve striking facades with bespoke designs hugely beneficial across all sectors. If we take a wider viewpoint on the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction, it is clear that many project developers are already making good use of volumetric and modular technologies to achieve productive, successful outputs and only plan to build on this.

Jackie Maginnis

Chief executive

Modular & Portable Building Association

Tel: +44 (0)870 241 7687

mpba@mpba.biz

https://mpba.biz

Follow this link:
Limited offsite take-up? The modular industry is thriving - Planning, BIM & Construction Today

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced financing of 793 new affordable homes in the Downtown Far Rockaway area of Queens.

The homes add to the 590 new construction units financed in the area since the New York City Council voted in favor of a neighborhood rezoning in Far Rockaway in September 2017.

The newly financed affordable housing units will be spread across three projects RadRoc, Beach 21, and Rockaway Village Phase II. Upon completion, the units will be affordable to households earning a wide range of incomes, including the formerly homeless, extremely low- to moderate-income New Yorkers.

Downtown Far Rockaway has been overdue for strategic investments and careful planning for far too long. Today we announce the coming of nearly 800 new, true affordable housing opportunities. This is in addition to the 590 affordable homes weve financed since 2017, and will go hand in hand with economic and structural developments led by EDC and informed by the community, said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll.

I want to thank Council Member Donovan Richards for his enthusiastic leadership, as well as our colleagues at NYCEDC for their partnership, and I look forward to seeing a new future in the Rockaways unfold.

The RadRoc development will be constructed on a private site and will include a total of 253 new affordable apartments across two 10-story buildings in Downtown Far Rockaway.

Financed through the Extremely Low- and Low-income Affordability (ELLA) program, 10 percent of these units will be set-aside for formerly homeless households. 133 units will be affordable permanently.

19-38 Cornaga Avenue will be a steel and plank building with a total of 173 rental housing units, including one superintendents unit, and over 14,400 square feet of commercial space.

10-18 Beach 20th Street will be a modular construction building that includes 80 rental housing units, approximately 5,600 square feet of commercial space, and 3,400 square feet of community facility space.

(Visited 1 times, 5 visits today)

See original here:
HPD hails rezoning that will add over 1000 homes to Rockaways - Real Estate Weekly

advertisement

Four burglaries in four years have cost a few their small housing company and they have struggled to finish their clients houses.

Paul and Pascale Hennessey founded Park Homes five years ago. They make small houses and modular houses with three employees of buildings in Kainga, just north of Christchurch.

advertisement

While the couple took a five-day vacation with their toddler son Kye, burglars escaped for $ 75,000 worth of goods from their buildings.

ALDEN WILLIAMS / STUFF

Pascale Hennessey and her husband Paul were shocked when they discovered that locks were broken and that containers in their Park Homes company were stripped of valuable things.

The trek included specialized tools and equipment, interior design and equipment, and items for their own home that they hoped to finish.

READ MORE:* Why we took out a $ 55K loan to build our own little house* Small houses score high on comfort, quality and value* Women admit to tidying up vacation homes in Christchurch * Fraudsters who target Facebook users who want small houses

At the same time, neighboring buildings of another construction company were broken into, while the shooting of an animal in an adjacent paddock was linked to the same offenders.

delivered

Park Homes makes small houses and larger modular houses.

Although insured, the Hennessys will only be paid a third of their loss, partly because the goods were stored in sealed transport containers.

Pascale Hennessey said they would finish the two houses they are working on, but then they would close the doors despite the fact that they were ready for a year. She described the events as heartbreaking.

Since the start, we have been burgled at least once a year. We hope to cover the loss ourselves without corporate debt we will sell what we can to ensure that we can finish the houses we started.

ALDEN WILLIAMS / STUFF

One of the padlocks broke during the last attack.

But we realized that we just could not continue with the company without getting into a difficult financial situation.

This meant canceling the work that would have supported them and their staff, which they had to let go, Hennessey said.

Thats the worst part. Our employees all have to find work, and they have their own families. We both also have to find new work.

delivered

A completed little cottage from Park Homes.

There is a lot of fall-out and many people have been affected. We hope that these people (the burglars) can be bought in court.

The couple received a lot of support from current and former customers and was also crowdfunding to finish the houses, she said. They also have a completed little house that they can sell.

The police said they had no clues, she said.

ALDEN WILLIAMS / STUFF

The Hennesseys were cleaned up when their Park Homes company was broken into at Christmas.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that break-ins of both properties were reported around Christmas time. She said the investigation continued after officers visited the scene and conducted forensic tests and asked anyone with information to contact the police.

Hennessey said the company had been a labor of love in many ways, and after three decades in the industry, her husband wanted to keep costs and margins low to deliver an affordable product.

They had managed to refine their product and she was doing very well, she said. The previous burglaries had been smaller, but this time they took everything they could.

We had security cameras and a secure garden and locked gates we really couldnt do much more.

Hennessey believed that the burglary was a professional task because the thieves could dodge the security cameras and had to make several trips.

We put our heart and soul into it and we loved it.

delivered

Pascale Hennessey is preparing a house for display.

But we have experienced earthquakes and all kinds in this city and we will be fine as a family. If the worst comes, we can live in a caravan, so we still have a roof over our heads.

advertisement

View post:
The 'heartbreaking' loss of the small home business after a burglary - magviral

As more investment continues to come to Leeds, there are increasing property investment prospects in the city and wider region.

Leeds is slated for more investment and development in a range of areas, opening up opportunities for property investors. With transport improvements coming to Leeds, more businesses relocating and expanding there, and demand increasing for new homes, Leeds is set for an especially strong year in the property investment sector.

The first phase of the Institute for High Speed Rail and System Integration being established at the University of Leeds has been given planning permission. The proposals include theconstruction facility Centre for Infrastructure Materials and the Infrastructure Test Facility.

This is part of a wider plan to place Leeds as a centre for rail engineering, job creation and inward investment. The institute is expected to improve transport in the city, which will further boost the local economy and property market.

Leeds was recently named the best place to start a business in the UK. Following Channel 4 and Sky making the move to Leeds, more creative and digital jobs have followed suit, which is further opening up more investment opportunities and bringing more people to the city.

There is a growing confidence in Yorkshires commercial property sector, especially in Leeds, as more businesses are expanding and relocating there. Even with a substantial amount of commercial development already in the pipeline in Leeds, many are expecting demand in new office space to grow.

Legal & General has even recently signed a long-term lease for a modular housing factory near Leeds, which is expected to initially employ between 400 and 500 people locally. As additional businesses open their doors in Leeds and Yorkshire, more people are likely to move to the city and region.

Leeds is seeing a significant amount of redevelopment and regeneration across the city centre, especially in South Bank. Many new housing developments will be brought forward through these regeneration projects. More than 8,000 new homes are expected to be created in the South Bank area alone.

In a report last year, Leeds City Council even suggested there is room for 20,000 more homes in the city centre, showing theres the potential for extensive growth. As Leeds sees more investment, demand for high-quality rental properties is expected to increase even more.

2020 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Leeds. With more investment, growth and demand coming to the thriving city, its expected to be a lucrative time to invest in Leeds, especially in buy-to-let properties.

If youre looking for your next property investment, check out BuyAssociations exciting investment opportunity in Leeds.

More:
Three reasons why Leeds is becoming a property investment hotspot - BuyAssociation