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Uncertainty delaying new offsite factory
Uncertainty is delaying a new offsite housing factory long-planned by construction company Laing O’Rourke.
Steve Trusler, accommodation sector leader for Europe at the company, told Inside Housing that the new factory was “all ready to go” but that uncertainty meant it would have to be delayed for now.
Speaking at Housing 2017, Mr Trusler said: “The product development is pretty well complete and the site has got planning, so we’re all ready to go from that point of view. The issue for us with all the uncertainty at the moment is around having visibility around that supply in order to press the button, and we will do that at the right moment.”
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Laing O’Rourke already builds 1,500 homes a year and Mr Trusler said the company was “looking to grow that”.
In his speech at the conference, he insisted: “Our industry has to change, adapt and embrace smarter, offsite construction solutions because this will not only assist with supply but it will also improve build quality and it will also improve productivity, which in our industry is incredibly poor.”
Natalie Elphicke, speaking on a panel at Housing 2017 with Mr Trusler, said the political climate was making things difficult for the sector.
“We are in uncharted territory in terms of managing the current political climate,” she commented. “And that has some very serious consequences in terms of what’s achievable, but also what’s going to be asked of us in this room, who care about delivering the homes that we need.”
