This project, set to be completed in 2021, will provide 58 apartments in High Wycombe
Offsite construction specialist Premier Modular has won a £7.5 million contract for a development of apartments that will provide facilities for homeless people and their families.
The East Yorkshire company has been awarded a contract by Buckinghamshire 7 to provide 58 apartments in the Desborough area of High Wycombe.
This project is being brought forward by a partnership between principal contractor Premier and Claritas Group, set to be completed in 2021 – a much shorter timescale than with traditional build.
The one-bedroom apartments – which will be fully fitted out offsite at Premier’s factory in Brandesburton – will be constructed around a central courtyard to provide amenity space for residents.
Designed to enhance the local area and ‘deliver a high standard of environmental performance’, the energy-efficient ‘fast fabric approach’ to the building’s construction will increase the level of insulation, reduce heat loss and air infiltration, and will use roof-mounted solar panels to generate electricity.
Dan Allison, director of Premier Modular, says: There is an urgent need across the UK for emergency accommodation for people, who, often through no fault of their own, have become homeless. These individuals and families need housing for a short period of time, while a more permanent place is found for them to live.
Offsite construction is very well suited to building this type of accommodation. As well as meeting the required standards for quality and sustainability, we can reduce the completion time to deliver new temporary homes more quickly for people on emergency housing waiting lists, Allison said.
Cllr John Chilver, cabinet member for property and assets for Buckinghamshire Council, comments: This project will increase the number of temporary homes in High Wycombe by 65%, enabling us to meet the growing local need and provide a much better living environment for families who need our help. The new accommodation will also bring people closer to local amenities, such as transport facilities, GP surgeries and schools as well as other support services.
