Modular housing could help provide a quick fix to homelessness on the Isle of Wight, with the Council looking to purchase 20 affordable, modular homes.
As part of the Isle of Wight Council’s COVID-19 recovery plan, options for the building of modular construction affordable homes are being looked at.
Speaking at a recent meeting of the health and wellbeing board, the council’s chief executive, John Metcalfe, said it was looking to secure the modular units quickly, to help ease the pressure on the Island’s housing system.
In September, council figures show 199 households were living in temporary accommodation — fewer than the peak in February 2021 of 215, but still rising from August, when there were 186.
Problems with the housing stock have recently been exacerbated, with prices rising in both the rental and sales market, and a lack of affordable housing.
The number of people in Band 1 of the council’s housing register, those with urgent housing needs, has fluctuated from April between 13 and 14 people. It hit a high in June last year when 27 people were in urgent need of housing but fell to 19 in August 2020.
Modular housing can be cheaper and quicker to put up, as units are built in factories and then transported to the site where they are then assembled.
The Isle of Wight Council does not currently have any modular affordable homes but has confirmed it is working up a project to secure the purchase of 20x 2-bed units to help address homelessness, subject to securing funding and cabinet approval.
The issue has been listed for discussion, and approval, at the December cabinet meeting. Part of the discussions around funding could be confidential if a separate commercial organisation provides finance.
The units would be built on council land and the location will be confirmed when the project goes ahead, after following normal planning rules.
just another excuse to spend our money on more housing, which then allows more people to turn up on the island to take those vacant temporary accommodation spaces. More houses built on more greenfields, adding to the congestion and demand on infrastructure.
What the council are doing here is a pointless idea and one that is not wanted with our money.
these councillors really need replacing as they are not fit for purpose.
The correct solution is to prevent taxpayer funded moves to the island and prevent the second home ownership – this will reduce the population and increase the available housing stock – no need for more houses.
I sympathise with your view, but the here and now beckons and needs resolving, here and now.
Landlords are tempted by the big income from holiday lets and airbnb reducing the rental long term let market to zero, and houses are sold to second home owners who have the money to outbid everyone else. As for taxpayer funded moves to the Island, that`ll be the billions from the pandemic grants and furlough scams and frauds, it won’t be anything else.
no it isn’t – it is those on benefits, getting a move to the island on taxpayer cash and moving into council or state funded, private rents – they should not be permitted to move here, thus ensuring that existing housing stock is available for islanders growing up and moving out of their parents homes into their first rented flats.
a significant number of these people in temporary accommodation are not islanders – they can be offered the opportunity of a place on the mainland, which has greater scope and land space to accommodate them.
second home owners are pariahs, that gut local economies, because the houses are empty for most of the year. this should be stopped.
You have to have island links generations of family here to actually qualify for a council property over here, unless you exchange.
So where will these lovely ( that’s sarcasm folks ) modular houses be built then. Why can’t you tell us now you know where, but you will not say because of the huge backlash it will cause. Maybe if the estate agents didn’t concentrate on selling existing houses to rich holibobs, further pushing up the housing prices on the island, this kind of situation wouldn’t be happening.
Probably all around your many properties… actually, they cannot say where as they do not have a clue, they need to find some council land that would be far away from themselves, but local to you and bus/train services,
Back to the prefab days then, should have done up the old ones instead of knocking them down, they would have been grade one by now.
Houses , houses and more houses… those big companies that have plans or put in plans to build houses should be ordered to build some of these modular homes. Make it a priority, one per say 10 affordable homes.. certainly that would be a better solution than our council paying out for building and siting, but also these built by the Housing companies, should be given to the council.
I bet if I was a Housing firm I could say ‘ We will build 20 of those modular homes for the council, if we can build 200 houses on Greenland ‘ more chance of a go ahead or what ??
Well can I say please.
I do hope that if some homeless person is given this chance of a home they wont put Newspaper, Blankets, Duvets, Cardboard up at the window instead of nets and curtains or blinds.
Please show some respect for the place and wherever it is situated.
There is no excuse to be dirty, uncivilized and disrespectful of the community they are living in.
They can be bought for very very little at a charity shop.
Just look at the flats opposite the back of M&S what they have done at some of the flats.
I feel sorry for their neighbors who are really proud of their homes.
I read the other day there were nearly 200 families waiting for some form of housing in the Isle of Wight, it would be interesting to see how many families have been transfered here from other councils whilst local families have nowhere to live……
Worth a try if it don”t work out you will still have the units as an asset
What a brilliant idea. There are many affordable module homes such as these on the mainland and they work, however there is a greater need to think about current housing stock. There are single people living in council houses, there are wasters living in 5 bedroomed homes when they no longer have children (newspapers did a BIG story on the wadfather…) and cowardly Council are too scared to ‘move him on’ *I’m surprised Darron Toogood hasn’t followed this up!), so why doesn’t the council concentrate on these properties first? Also stop letting overlanders buy up housing on the island as some have suggested for 2nd homes!
What up with using mobile homes loads of 2nd hand ones around some on the island im sure
Excellent idea and I hope they go towards giving people a decent home that they appreciate and look after. If they don’t, move them out and place people in who do