GREEN LIGHT FOR MODULAR HOMES

NEW HOMES, CREATED USING MODERN METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION, ARE COMING TO NORTHSTOWE

House by Urban Splash have been granted planning consent for the creation of their first factory-built, customisable homes at Northstowe today, 12 February 2020.

The homes will form part of the new urban village of Inholm, the largest in the UK to be manufactured offsite using volumetric construction. Inholm is the second phase of development at Northstowe and will sit alongside the new town centre.

406 homes were approved at Inholm by South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Planning Committee. They encompass a range of housing typologies, later living homes and mixed-use buildings. The modular homes, called Town House can be configured by the buyer to their own design before being built in a factory and
delivered to site.

This gives buyers the flexibility to decide how their house can work best for their lifestyle. There are over 70 different configurations available so new homeowners can design their perfect home.

They have been created to suit a variety of 21st Century needs for families, couples and individuals, and to create a diverse intergenerational community.

They are the first homes of their kind to be seen at this scale on a development site in Cambridgeshire.

Inholm is being brought forward by the innovative modern housebuilder ‘House by Urban Splash’, a new company backed by regeneration specialists Urban Splash, Homes England and Japan’s biggest house builder, Sekisui House.

With this expansion of Northstowe, House by Urban Splash is bringing its skill and expertise in world-class manufacturing to the East of England, choosing Cambridgeshire as its first location to deliver the homes on a new site. The majority of homes will be manufactured in the House factory in Alfreton, East Midlands.

Mark Latham, Regeneration Director at House says: “We are very excited to launch our first homes in Cambridgeshire and for the opportunities ahead at Northstowe, as we contribute to this emerging new town.

“Personally, I have a strong affinity with Cambridge, and was a student here. I can’t wait to bring our House by Urban Splash portfolio to this part of the country – somewhere renowned for innovation and doing things differently.

“We want to break new ground, surprise and cause a stir with our new neighbourhoods, using great design and the latest building technology, and we are doing just that with our new ‘urban village’ Inholm. Our range of customisable homes and apartments are designed to suit all sorts of modern families, lifestyles and budgets. We can’t wait to get going.”

Stephen Kinsella, Chief Land and Development Officer at Homes England, said: “I’m delighted that planning permission has been granted for the first homes to be built on Homes England land at Northstowe, which is a significant step forward for the new town and an important milestone for our joint venture with Urban Splash and Sekisui House.

“This is a really ambitious proposal for 406 homes using modern methods of construction, and the quality design of these homes really reflects our ambition to deliver outstanding places.”

Proctor & Matthews Architects is the lead architect and masterplanner of the site. The modular homes will include designs by architects shedkm.

Ian Killick, Director at shedkm commented: “We are delighted that the full range of our customisable, factory-built homes are soon coming to Northstowe. The Inholm urban village will feature the most up to date versions of our house and apartment designs, incorporating new technologies and Cambridgeshire-inspired materials and details. We’re working with a great team and have high hopes of creating an exemplar new neighbourhood that sets a new benchmark for the use of modern methods of construction.”

Stephen Proctor, founder of Proctor and Matthews architects says: “As masterplanner and lead architect we are delighted to have secured planning permission for phase 2a of Northstowe. Our design for this contemporary mixed-use residential quarter is inspired by the form of traditional edge-of-fenland settlements and recent archaeological discoveries within the locality. Innovative clusters of homes employing offsite modular construction will help to deliver a visually distinctive narrative creating a new ‘Inholm’ village for the 21st Century.”

The customisable homes will be launched in Spring/Summer 2020. For more information and to register interest go to https://www.urbansplash.co.uk/regeneration/projects/inholm-northstowe

Bidwells have been appointed as a local agent acting on behalf of House by Urban Splash and will be handling all initial enquiries.