Cornwall’s ‘micro homes’ are supplied by Solohaus, a subsidiary of Essex developer Hill Group.
The 29 self-contained modular one-bedroom units have arrived in Cornwall and are set to be deployed to sites in the coming months.
Cornwall Council joins Cambridge City Council, Ipswich Borough Council, the London Borough of Haringey and several housing associations in the east of England in using SoloHaus to supplement housing needs.
Olly Monk, portfolio holder for housing and planning at Cornwall Council, said: “This marks a real tipping point in this Council’s approach to solving the housing crisis. The opportunity to buy these units was only identified at the end of August and officers have worked extremely hard over a very short period to turn this around.
“These homes are ready to be dropped onto sites and provide top-quality accommodation, with all fixtures and fittings included. They are an evolution of the cabin-style emergency accommodation that we have provided in Truro and Camborne and, over time, will remove the need for those type of pods, which we have leased.”
He added: “I very much hope that this is the first batch of many SoloHaus units for us in Cornwall.”
SoloHaus homes are built from steel in Shrewsbury by Volumetric Modular Ltd, of which Hill is 50% owner along with Darren Richards. They arrive on site fully furnished with a kitchen, living and dining area, bedroom and bathroom – and can be transported on a lorry. They are designed to have a minimum 60-year lifespan and construction warranty.
They can be used in either a single storey or two-storey arrangement, with minimal groundworks, needing only electric, water and waste connections. They have integrated cabling for broadband and TV and a single air source heat pump provides warmth for six homes.
Andy Hill, group chief executive at Hill, said: “We designed the SoloHaus units to be safe, high-quality homes for some of the most vulnerable people in society and we hope that Cornwall residents will enjoy living in them.”
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