UK mass-produced home factory to start producing “within weeks”: report

The UK’s first mass-produced home factory is expected to fire up production soon, as a financial services firm forges ahead with its plan to reshape the country’s failing housing sector.

In February 2016 Legal & General Homes signed a long-term lease with Logicor on a 550,000 sq ft warehouse in near Leeds (Legal & General)

Ready-to-assemble sections of the cross-laminated timber homes will be delivered like flat-packed Ikea furniture, and prototypes are expected "within weeks", UK magazine Building reports today.

A source told Building that the prototypes, produced by insurance and investment group Legal & General, would be for a three-bedroom home and a five-bedroom home.

Legal & General announced in February this year that it would open the largest home-building factory in Europe in a bid to shake up the UK housing market, which is characterised by chronic undersupply of homes.

Its new division, Legal & General Homes, signed a long-term lease with Logicor on a 550,000 sq ft warehouse in Sherburn-in-Elmet, 15 miles east of Leeds. Initially the plant would employ 400 to 500 local people, the company said.

Prototypes are reported to be for a three-bed and a five-bed home (Legal & General)

Announcing the unprecedented move in February, Legal & General said it expected to deliver its first houses in June.

Legal & General had declined to comment, Building said, adding that another source gave a more cautious estimate of production starting by year end.

Building also reported that a well-known construction manager and former director of Mace, Ian Eggers, had joined Legal & General to spearhead delivery of its modular homes programme.

Eggers was now seeking alliances with housing associations and housebuilders, Building reported.