innerspace homes apply for full planning permission for one of the UK’s largest low-rise modular developments
Leading low carbon modular developer, innerspace homes, has secured a 3.5-acre site in the village of Needingworth, near Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire.
innerspace has now applied for full detailed planning permission for 40 two- to four-bedroom modular family homes after a positive pre-application. This design-led development will be one of the largest low-rise volumetric modular developments in the UK.
innerspace have five branded house type designs and their homes are currently being trademarked and undergoing validation by BOPAS, the Build Offsite Property Assurance Scheme. Each innerspace home adheres to their four pillars or principles which underpin the innerspace approach to bringing the design and delivery of homes into the 21st century. Each home is design-led – to sit comfortably in any environment and appease both the wants of current generations and the needs of future ones. Sustainable – helping reduce the carbon footprint on our planet and help safe guard it for future generations, affordable- to reduce fuel bills and make homes more affordable to live in by and customisable to bring a bit of the ‘Grand Designs’ effect en-masse. In Needingworth, innerspace hope that this development will act as a catalyst for further innovative and sustainable design in a sector that has so far failed to embrace technological advancements as other industries have.
Precision built and with designed-in green tech, the homes will facilitate CO2 and annual Kw usage reductions of 40% to 50% below current build regulation targets, allowing significant reduction in fuel bills as well as the carbon footprint on our planet. The homes are also designed to accommodate the changes in the demographic make-up of homes today, with layout options available to suit multi-generational living, whether that is parents moving in with their children or boomerang kids. The modular homes are precision built in a factory environment, ensuring consistently high-quality homes and a more environmentally friendly construction process.
If planning is successful, innerspace homes would expect to start on site in August of this year. Using off-site construction, innerspace homes would be able to construct the 40-home development in just 7 to 8 months compared to a traditional construction time which would typically exceed 12 months for an equivalent project. This 30-40% reduction in build time helps reduce the disruption that construction projects can cause within a community.
Tony DiCarlo, one of the founders of innerspace homes, commented: “Huntingdonshire is the perfect location for the inaugural innerspace development as they as part of the wider Cambridgeshire area are very active in looking to use innovation to spark growth in the County. We are currently working on the final trademarking of our designs all of which integrate green tech, and which focus on strong design credentials. We are confident that our high-quality precision engineered homes will complement the existing village, attract high calibre interest across the industry as a great example of innovation in the sector and we are hugely excited at the prospect of being able to get our homes onto the production line and installed in Needingworth if our application is successful.”
innerspace homes have a number of other sites in the pipeline located in Cambridgeshire and surrounding counties and have plans to commence construction on a second site comprising 70 homes in Q4 2019.