Offsite Housing Partnership Praised in New Report
A new report which urges the Government to build 75,000 modular homes a year highlights the ground-breaking partnership between two Dorset businesses.
Build Homes, Build Jobs, Build Innovation: A Blueprint for a Housing-Led Industrial Strategy
was co-authored by Mark Farmer and Mike De’Ath and is currently being considered by 10 Downing Street.
The report highlights the importance of collaboration and spotlights how offsite manufacturer Rollalong Ltd
and Magna Housing, a housing association based in Dorchester, are working with Dorset Council to demonstrate that beautiful homes, manufactured locally to very high environmental quality standards, can fit well in the context and local character of the region.
It highlights the work by Dorset Council, Magna and Rollalong to develop design codes and a pattern book of homes and the parallels to the planning white paper proposals.
Magna Housing has already invested in 95 homes, working closely with planners, and the first three planning consents are demonstrating the design versatility of these homes that benefit from Rollalong’s advanced manufacturing experience which ensures that these homes are not only beautiful but built to last.
The report notes: “We would highlight a progressive approach being currently developed in Dorset where Magna Housing Association in conjunction with their manufacturing partner Rollalong are currently agreeing with Dorset Council how a pre-approved pattern book of typologies … can form the basis for accelerated consent.
“This will then enable the forward ordering of modules by Magna to be held in stock. These can then be drawn down as various sites for themselves and other partners who want to collaborate in a purchasing consortium are developed.
“All of this is planned in one of the most architecturally sensitive areas of the country and will minimise impact on communities and accelerate delivery.”
Mark Farmer, one of the report’s authors, is the Government’s MMC champion whose role is to promote the use of MMC or modern methods of construction (including offsite and modular manufacture of buildings) in the UK.
This is Mr Farmer’s first report since the influential Farmer Review of the UK Construction Labour Model, also known as Modernise Or Die, in 2016.
Steve Chivers, Managing Director of Rollalong, said: “It’s very pleasing that our work with Magna Housing has been highlighted in this important report.
“We want to collaborate with clients who understand the benefits of MMC in terms of safety, quality, speed and flexibility, and it’s a pleasure to work with Magna Housing, who have really embraced MMC as the way forward.”
Paul Read, Assistant Director of Development at Magna Housing, added: “This report rightly emphasises the fact that modern methods of construction and innovative partnerships like ours are the solution when it comes to building new homes.
“We have other clients now keen to come on board and we have listened to their demands. The new 20/21 range is hugely exciting, hitting extremely high environmental standards, but we are also listening closely to how people want to live in these homes. In the midst of a pandemic this means we have increased space and accessibility standards and focused on making them made cheap to heat and maintain.
“By developing a pattern book approach with Rollalong we can accelerate delivery of new housing and achieve economies of scale while still building homes that our residents love.”
The Magna homes range by Rollalong are built off site in a factory-controlled setting and are therefore more cost-effective to maintain and quicker to construct, generate less waste and have a lower carbon footprint in use than traditional brick houses, making them a sustainable housing solution.
Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, Portfolio Holder for Housing at Dorset Council, said: “We’re really pleased with the findings in the report and hope that this will see the start of the creation of new, sustainable housing developments in Dorset.
“Here at Dorset Council we’re also using modular homes as part of our Building Better Lives programme which is a joint initiative with our health partners to deliver new health, social care and housing across the county.”
Read the full report here: https://www.hta.co.uk/storage/app/media/build-homes-build-jobs-build-innovation.pdf
Notes for editors:
Rollalong
- Established in 1932, Rollalong
is the largest permanent offsite construction company in the south of England, specialising in the development and manufacture of permanent offsite homes. - The average number of workers at Rollalong is 220, made up of 40 directly employed factory workers, 30 factory subcontractors, 40 office staff, 10 directly employed site workers and 100 site subcontractors.
- Rollalong has over 50 years of experience in the rapid and risk-free delivery of quality, bespoke and modular buildings for all market sectors.
- Rollalong has a proven track record of delivered effective modular buildings across the public sector, including housing for the Ministry of Defence as well as new schools and school extensions and healthcare facilities.
- In the private sector, Rollalong has been commissioned to design and build a range of homes.
- To find out more about Rollalong visit: www.rollalong.co.uk
Magna Housing
- Magna Housing is a medium-sized, independent, but open-minded, housing association, providing high quality and affordable homes across Dorset and Somerset.
- Our main activities are the construction, management and acquisition of non-market housing. We own 9,000 properties and have a workforce of about 450 people. We aim to build over 500 more homes over the next three years.
- Our vision is to create great homes together and we work closely with our customers and partners to deliver this. We provide a range of homes, tenures and services, from rental to shared ownership; from leaseholds to sheltered; from garages to handyman services. We aim to be part of our community and create communities where people choose to live. We can do this because we are large enough to influence but small enough to care.
- We are in discussion with other clients in the region to open up the long-term supply of homes built off-site to complement our existing capabilities in on site delivery.
- We have 400 homes in the pipeline on land bought in the open market, land we own which is being repurposed for housing and land we have secured from public sector bodies seeking to deliver for local people.
- To find out more about Magna Housing visit: https://www.magna.org.uk/
For media information, please contact:
