The UK’s big five MMC builders have teamed up to form a new trade body to accelerate the growth of the modular sector.
Trade body Make Modular brings together leading modular housing manufacturers: TopHat, Urban Splash, Ilke Homes, Laing O’Rourke, Legal and General Modular.
It is being supported by the wider manufacturers body Make UK.
Stephen Phipson, CEO of Make UK, said:“Modular housing could certainly play a significant part in helping local authorities deliver the challenging home building targets set for them by Government.
“But to make real significant progress, modular housing needs to have equal access to land for construction with many sites still favouring traditional modes of construction.
“Modular also needs to have the weight of Government procurement behind it using a joined-up approach including education, defence and housing to build much-needed scale the UK’s modular industry.”
Together the member firms claim to have created more than 2,000 new jobs during the last three years.
They aim by moving people off-site and into clean, safe, modern working conditions volumetric to rebuild the construction workforce bringing up to 50,000 new younger people into the industry.
Make Modular members are planning to help solve the country’s housing crisis by delivering 75,000 affordable homes before the end of the decade, with a combined capacity to produce a new home every two hours from their factories.
Modular housing manufacturers are also keen to accelerate the development of building regulations to match a new, more ambitious new normal when it comes to quality and energy across construction as a whole, driving forward the world’s biggest challenge of climate change.
Dave Sheridan, Chair of Make UK Modular said: “Modular housing has grown rapidly in the last few years. The establishment of our own trade body is the crucial next step in this process.
“As a natural partner to Government to solve the housing crisis, deliver the levelling up agenda, and combat climate change Make Modular will accelerate and advance the MMC agenda through one strong voice rather than a series of disparate ones.”
