Hastings Borough Council has granted reserved matters approval for 140 new homes by modular housing specialist ilke Homes. Following approval, ilke will begin to deliver a mix of apartments and houses, ranging in sizes from one to four bedroom 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.

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.

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

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 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."

Andy Batsford, Hastings 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.”

Completion of the scheme is expected in spring 2024.