ilke Homes’ plans to deliver 140 factory-built affordable homes in Hastings approved by council

Hastings Borough Council has granted Reserved Matters Approval for 140 new homes pursuant to an Outline Planning Permission in Harrow Lane, Hastings.

Following approval, leading modular housing pioneer ilke Homes will begin to deliver a mix of apartments and houses, ranging in sizes from one to four bedrooms family homes.

The homes will be manufactured offsite at ilke Homes’ factory in North Yorkshire, where precision-engineering techniques enable the company to deliver highly sustainable homes. This means ilke Homes is able to commit to helping tackle the local council’s climate emergency, declared in 2019, while delivering much-needed affordable housing.

The announcement marks ilke Homes’ continued expansion in the South East region, where the company is already committed to delivering in excess of 1,200 homes across six sites.

Following a competitive tender process, Hastings Borough Council chose ilke Homes to develop the site in October 2021 due to the company’s ability to demonstrate best value, accelerated delivery and high levels of sustainability.

The 12.4-acre site will be delivered by ilke Homes as part of its turnkey offering – by which it acquires land, gains planning permission, manufactures the homes and develops the site. By taking charge of the full construction programme, ilke Homes is able to provide councils and clients with certainty that sites will be delivered on time and to budget.

Supply and demand mismatches, generous tax breaks and changing living requirements among buyers who are now prioritising having more space over city-centre locations, have pushed house prices in Hastings to record highs. Overall, sold prices in Hastings over the last year were 10 percent up on the previous year and 22 percent up on the 2019 peak of £241,260.

Precision-engineering techniques mean that ilke Homes will be able to deliver the 140 affordable homes in half the time of traditional methods, thanks to most of the construction stage taking place offsite. By manufacturing offsite, the homes delivered will be of the highest quality, as ilke Homes is able to benchmark standards at numerous stages of the build cycle.

Once complete, the homes and complementing open spaces will be managed by a registered provider of affordable homes.

Completion of the scheme is expected in Spring 2024.

Matt Suggit, Development Director at ilke Homes, said:

“ilke Homes are increasingly becoming a partner of choice for local authorities looking to scale up the delivery of energy-efficient, affordable housing, and this planning permission is testament to that. Our application achieved officers support within the target timescales and we’d like to thank officers at Hastings Borough Council for processing the application in a positive and efficient manner. Our accredited modular methods of delivery will ensure that these homes help Hastings Borough Council meet carbon reduction targets and deliver much needed affordable housing. We are proud to be delivering all 140 homes as affordable tenures, comprising 70 Shared Ownership homes and 70 affordable rent homes.”

Cllr Andy Batsford, lead councillor for housing and homelessness, said:

“We are pleased that this application has been granted, we look forward to seeing these new homes being built and lived in by some of the many people we have in this town who need an affordable roof over their heads.

“With the cost of living increasing it is important that all new homes are built to be efficient and that they are as cheap as possible for people to heat and live in. Ilke’s designs mean that the homes they build cost less to heat which will help reduce fuel poverty in our town.”