Heywood company partners with Oldham housing association to deliver 12 energy-efficient apartments

The development is transforming a brownfield site on Stephenson Street in Waterhead, Oldham

A Heywood company has partnered with a local housing association to deliver a scheme of 12 energy-efficient two-bedroom apartments in Oldham.

MultiBuild UK has manufactured the apartments at its facility on Green Lane, using modern methods of construction.

Each home has been fabricated at the factory – complete with timber studwork internal walls, pre-fitted insulation and plasterboard, plumbing, electrics and kitchen – before being delivered to the site in Oldham.

The £1.4m development is transforming a brownfield site on Stephenson Street in Waterhead, part of housing association First Choice Homes Oldham’s (FCHO) strategy to deliver 1,100 affordable, high quality, low carbon homes in Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside, Calderdale and Kirklees by 2026.

The prefabs have been lifted into place with a crane and assembled by MultiBuild UK’s team.

Brickwork is now being added to the exterior of the three-storey building, together with a truss roof, to give the appearance of a traditionally built block of apartments and work is ongoing to finish the interiors.

Other benefits of MultiBuild UK’s modular system include faster speed of delivery, with much needed homes ready for customers 60% faster than using traditional building methods. It also offers greater levels of efficiency as components are precision engineered in the factory setting cutting construction waste to 1-3%, improving quality, overcoming challenges of weather conditions and allowing overlap of site preparation and building phases.

Alistair Cameron, Managing Director at MultiBuild UK, said: “The Stephenson Street scheme is a strong example of how we can help developers and housing providers deliver sustainable new homes and overcome challenges relating to costs, high-density residential areas, difficult topography, historic use of brownfield sites, site safety and quality which may otherwise impact viability and deliverability of low volume schemes.

“We’re pleased to be partnering with FCHO on this scheme and to be up for this award.”

Joel Owen, FCHO Director of Development, said: “As in many other parts of the country, there’s a shortage of affordable housing locally and we’re working hard to address this.

“MultiBuild UK’s modular system is helping us bring forward at pace more energy efficient, social homes that will make a difference to local people and futureproof our stock, and I’m delighted the approach has been shortlisted for this award.”

The project is now in the running to pick up the award for Best Approach to Modular Housing at the Northern Housing Awards. Winners of the Northern Housing Awards will be announced on 17 May 2022.

The new green homes – EPC rated B – are due for completion in September 2022.