New factory-made homes were delivered to Barking and Dagenham last week as part of a project to house local homeless people.

The 20 two-bedroom modular homes will be finished off by Jerram Falkus, at a former garage site in Wivenhoe Road, Barking and are set to be completed in 30 weeks.

Cllr Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement, who visited the site said: “These new homes will be for local families who are on our council waiting list and are yet to be given a permanent home, so they can still remain in the borough and close to family and friends.

“By using the latest modular technology we can build at pace so we can put a roof over their heads more quickly.”

Cllr Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing said: “The housing situation is not getting any easier in these current times and now more than ever it’s so important we deliver quality housing more quickly to house local families.” 

Martin Andvik, Construction Manager at Be First, said: “The use of modern modular construction has allowed for these new homes to be built and delivered in record time, matching the council’s ambition to provide homes for people in need.”

Peter Bowtell, Jerram Falkus’ Construction Director said: “It is great to see the delivery of the first units at Wivenhoe Road, our second modular housing project for Be First and Barking and Dagenham. By using offsite construction we are able to deliver these new homes faster and more efficiently to the client, on what would be a challenging site to develop using standard construction methods.”    

The development is due to be completed in February 2021.