Liverpool mayor launches plan for region to be centre of excellence for offsite construction

The MMC house was built by Wirral-based Starship Group using a light-gauge steel frame, clad with insulation and brick slips to create a super-insulated, airtight building with a Standard Assessment Procedure score of 100.

It will remain in place during the period of the Labour Party conference from 22 to 25 September. It will then be disassembled and rebuilt at Starship’s Wirral Waters campus and become a prototype house used to promote MMC and for training purposes.

Mr Rotheram said: “As mayor, I’m committed to overseeing an affordable housing revolution in our region, including the return of large-scale council house building. We’ve got the skills, the expertise and the determination to make this a success, and we stand ready to work with the government and legislated providers to make it happen.

“Future Homes LCR shows exactly what’s possible when innovation and collaboration come together – creating a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone.”

A development of 13 modular homes, called Greenleas, is already underway in Wallasey. The homes were also built by Starship Group and supported by £195,000 from the LCR Combined Authority’s Brownfield Land Fund and Homes England.

The development is set to open in November, and the homes will be available on a rent-to-buy basis.

These types of homes would normally come with a 10-year guarantee from Octopus Energy, ensuring residents will not receive any energy bill.

Nigel Banks, technical director – zero bills and low-carbon homes at Octopus Energy, said: “Our work with Liverpool City Region and Starship demonstrates that zero-bills homes are available now, and aren’t just helping customers eliminate the cost of energy, but making the grid greener and cheaper at the same time.”

The homes are part of a broader ambition to harness modular building techniques to make full use of the 700 brownfield sites in the Liverpool City Region, which have the potential to accommodate 42,000 homes.

Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “We’re honoured to have this new initiative launched at the first ever Housing Community Summit. 

“We share a joint ambition with Liverpool City Council to solve the housing crisis and deliver a generation of new social homes. 

“It’s great to see how innovative construction methods, like the one unveiled today, can help us achieve this, providing energy efficient, affordable homes for those that need them.”

Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute for Housing, said: “Embracing modern methods of construction highlights how building can happen at pace to provide the much-needed homes this country needs, which also makes a significant contribution towards our national carbon reduction ambitions. 

“Not only providing a decent, safe and affordable place to live but also highlighting the varied and fulfilling career opportunities the housing sector provides.”

The news comes after members of the House of Lords called for the Building Research Establishment to be stripped of its responsibility for certifying MMC.