EDAROTH, the affordable and social housing subsidiary of Atkins, has signed a development agreement with Hyde Group, an affordable housing provider in the south-east.

The agreement marks the start of a new relationship, with a focus on delivering energy efficient, net zero homes, built using the latest modern methods of construction.

EDAROTH will deliver homes through the provision of end-to-end development management, design and engineering expertise as well as its latest accredited off-site manufacturing techniques to enable Hyde Group to meet its goal of providing energy efficient affordable housing for its residents. 

The partnership with EDAROTH also introduces a new way of thinking for social housing in the region with a focus on unlocking under-utilised land and brownfield sites, to create affordable housing as part of sustainable, inclusive and happy communities.

The agreement will also ensure those homes will be built more efficiently, up to 50% more quickly, using pre-manufactured materials produced off-site and delivered, cutting carbon emissions from the construction process. 

As the built environment contributes around 40% of carbon emissions, the net zero focus of EDAROTH’s delivery method is a key benefit in the partnership. It will ensure energy consumption is greatly reduced compared with traditional housing construction.

Mark Powell, managing director for EDAROTH, said: “There is unprecedented demand for social and affordable housing in the UK. That is why the approach we’re taking with Hyde Group is so important as we will not only deliver sustainable, net zero homes, built with modern methods of construction, but can do so at scale and at pace.

“It’s also crucial that we create a sense of place for residents in these communities. It’s not good enough to simply hit housing target numbers - we have to ensure the right infrastructure exists to underpin new developments so that people have access to the services they need in order to thrive.”

Guy Slocombe, Hyde’s chief investment officer said: “This exciting partnership with EDAROTH, will help us unlock hard to develop land to provide more high-quality, low-cost homes for people who need them. By using the latest build methods and technologies we’ll achieve lower energy costs for our customers and lower carbon emissions both of which are really important to us.”