"Could these ready-made homes solve Coventry's housing crisis?"

[dutchman]

Modular homes cost a fraction of the price to build - and take just weeks to make



Ready-made homes which cost a fraction of traditional builds and can be on site within eight weeks are coming to Coventry in a bid to tackle the city's housing crisis.

The first modular homes - prefabricated buildings or houses that consist of repeated sections called modules - have been agreed in a joint project between Coventry City Council and Whitefriars Housing.

And Cllr Ed Ruane, cabinet member for housing and communities, believes they could help solve the city's housing crisis.

Cllr Ruane said: "It's imperative really that we get these houses on board as quickly as possible.

"As many people in Coventry know, we've got 350 families living in temporary accommodation, like bed and breakfasts, which just clearly isn't suitable.

"If we can bring this type of housing on board as quickly as possible that will address that problem and we're hoping to do that in the next coming months."

Said to be the future of affordable housing, modular homes can be built to any size within a factory.

They are far cheaper to build, and a two-bedroom house takes just eight weeks to make and move on to site.

The first site where modular homes will be introduced in Coventry is Littlethorpe in Willenhall.

The build is the result of a partnership between Whitefriars Housing - the largest provider of social housing in Coventry - and the council.

Few details are yet available on the number and types of homes available on the development.

But Cllr Ruane said it could be just the start.

He said: "We're hoping if this pilot scheme is successful that there will be further sites in the future where modular homes can be built.

"Whitefriars have identified another three sites in the city where we could have potentially have modular homes."