Ikea-owned modular builder signs 750-home deal with housing association
A modular housing developer owned by Swedish furniture giant Ikea has signed a 750-home deal with South of England housing association Abri.
BoKlok, which is a joint venture between Ikea and Swedish construction giant Skanska, confirmed the deal today. It will work with Abri, renamed after the merger between Yarlington and Radian, to deliver the homes over the next five years.
The new homes will be delivered across Abri’s geographical footprint in areas such as Bristol, Bath, Somerset, Portsmouth and Southampton, and will be for a range of tenures.
This is the latest deal that BoKlok has signed with a housing association after the company announced a deal to deliver 1,000 homes over a five-year period for 31,000-home Vivid.
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The Ikea JV has also signed deals with Bristol City Council to deliver 200 homes over the next five years and East Sussex Council to deliver 162 homes. BoKlok has said that its type of modular homes significantly reduces building costs and meets energy efficiency standards.
It comes as the number of housing associations looking to deliver offsite homes has increased in recent months. Last week Inside Housing reported that a new 18-association alliance had launched to deliver thousands of offsite homes across the North of England.
Abri has plans to deliver 10,000 new homes over the next decade and has pledged to ensure that 25% of those homes will be delivered through offsite technologies.
Graeme Culliton, UK managing director at BoKlok, said: “Modern methods of construction are really starting to be seen as a significant contributor to the UK housing landscape and we are delighted that by partnering with Abri we are fulfilling our ambition to help more people have a quality, energy-efficient home at a more affordable price.
“We share the same values and mission, which is to build modern homes and create communities that are safe, thriving and will bring more sustainability to the housing market.”
Gary Orr, group chief executive of Abri, said: “Our partnership with BoKlok will achieve our shared ambition to provide homes that are great places to live in for people and the planet. We’re committed to helping tackle the housing crisis by delivering high quality, affordable homes at pace, that also minimise their impact on the environment.
“Our strategic aim is to provide at least 25% of our new build homes using modern methods of construction and collaboration will be key to achieving this. Our shared values with BoKlok mean that we can really make a difference to meet the demand for affordable homes while creating communities that offer the highest standards of sustainability.”
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