Bellway selects ilke Homes for first MMC development

MMC specialist ilke Homes has been selected by top five housebuilder Bellway to deliver the FTSE 250 company’s first modular homes.

The partnership will see ilke Homes deliver 40 factory-built homes on a site in Milton Keynes. Branded Tattenhoe Park, the wider scheme will comprise 160 homes built from steel and timber framed homes as part of a pilot project being led by Homes England.

Homes England’s pilot projects are delivering 1,800 homes across the country as part of a study into the benefits of MMC. These include improved quality and energy efficiency, and a reduction in construction waste. A recent report from the House of Lords built environment committee suggested factory-built housing will be instrumental in speeding up development across the UK.

It is the first time ilke Homes and Bellway have partnered to deliver homes in the UK, though ilke has already signed a number of other deals with some of the country’s biggest house builders.   

ilke Homes will be delivering a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes for Bellway, for both affordable and open market tenures. Bellway is due to start work on site in March, with ilke Homes expected to deliver the first homes in August.

Today’s announcement follows news from last year that ilke Homes, despite being founded just four years ago, has an order book with a value exceeding £200m. The company is currently on a drive to recruit up to 500 new employees in order to boost production capacity and become a top ten house builder by volume within the next five years.

Tom Heathcote, executive director of development at ilke Homes, said: “Proof of both concept and delivery means that ilke Homes has become a partner of choice for the UK’s biggest house builders. It’s great to partner with Bellway Homes at Tattenhoe Park, a truly innovative, Homes England-backed scheme that is aiming to demonstrate the benefits of MMC by collecting granular data on the performance of our own precision-engineered homes.”

Paul Smits, managing director at Bellway Northern Home Counties, said: “Bellway is pleased to confirm this partnership with ilke Homes to deliver our first modular homes at Tattenhoe Park. We have developed our plans with ilke’s input throughout, and their expertise has accelerated our learning around their products and processes. Now contracts are signed, we look forward to seeing these new homes being manufactured by ilke Homes and preparing to install the units at Tattenhoe Park.”