Cumbria college students have visited a first-of-its-kind housing development in order to learn more about the future of construction in the region.
Students from Lakes College, West Cumbria, were given a guided tour of Royal Drive in Egremont, a unique modular housing development consisting of 26 two and three bedroom homes.
The new development is being created by Home Group, one of the UK’s largest housing associations, in collaboration with ilke Homes, an industry leader in offsite modular manufacturing.
David Armstrong, Senior Delivery Manager at Home Group, said: “Modular is a quicker and more environmentally friendly way of creating housing and meeting demands.
“More than 300,000 homes are required each year to meet the UK’s current housing need. With the region facing a major shortage of both skills and contractors, it’s essential that we look for innovative solutions and support the development of our future workforce.
“I was delighted to welcome the students and show them around our site in Egremont. It hopefully gave them an insight into some of the new thinking within construction and how modular homes can help supplement more traditional methods of building houses.”
The visit included Level 2 Joinery students and Level 3 Built Environment Apprentices, who were given a sneak peek inside the homes and observed a range of specialists working on the project.
Shelby Hawkins, Work Place Coordinator at Lakes College, said: “Our learners were delighted to gain an insight into the world of modular homes and had a great time exploring the new development.
“Many important tradesmen are required to complete projects of this scale and Lakes College are helping to develop the workforce of the future by offering a number of construction courses and apprenticeships.
“Thank you to Home Group for giving us this incredible opportunity and allowing our learners to see how home developments are evolving!”
Home Group has already utilised modular housing in other areas of the country, including Gateshead Innovation Village where they are researching different construction types to better understand their advantages versus traditional builds.
The first residents are expected to move into Royal Drive at the end of the month, with the development due to be completed later in the year.
