ilke Homes will deliver up to 449 highly energy-efficient homes in Kent, in partnership with housing association The Riverside Group.

Subject to Reserved Matters planning approval from Thanet District Council, ilke Homes plans to deliver a mix of houses and apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms across a mix of tenures – including social rent, shared ownership and build-to-rent. ilke Homes and The Riverside group are collaborating to finalise the proposals and will be submitting for Reserved Matters planning in the next month. Subject to planning, a start on site is anticipated in early in 2024.

Being delivered on a 21-acre site owned by The Riverside Group, most of the homes will be manufactured offsite at ilke Homes' 250,000 sq ft factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, where ilke Homes deploys precision-engineering techniques along production lines to deliver high-quality, energy-efficient homes.

Selected via a procurement exercise managed by EN Procure Ltd, ilke Homes were chosen because of the company's ability to deliver value for money, and a quality product whilst unlocking an accelerated delivery programme. ilke Homes will deliver the site under its 'design and build' offering, by which it gains planning permission, manufactures the homes and develops the site. This vertically integrated approach will help control build costs and speed up construction programmes.

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Precision-engineering techniques mean that ilke Homes will be able to deliver the 449 homes in half the time of traditional methods, thanks to most of the construction stage taking place offsite. By manufacturing offsite, the homes delivered will be of the highest quality, as ilke Homes is able to benchmark standards at numerous stages of the build cycle.

By harnessing artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital design, the modular housing company is capable of creating homes that are incredibly well insulated, meaning less heat escapes, consequently reducing bills. This will help reduce household bills for tenants, who are the most likely to be affected by the cost-of-living crisis, while minimising operating costs for The Riverside Group.

An increasing number of housing associations are choosing to deliver their schemes using offsite manufacturing, where homes are precision-engineered along production lines, due to:

• Quality: The precision-engineering techniques employed in the factory mean that the finish of every home is to an exceptional standard.

• Sustainability: Investors are under increasing pressure to reduce the environmental impact and carbon footprint of the homes they manage. All of ilke's homes achieve the highest EPC ratings, an 'A', meaning investors will not have to undergo costly retrofitting programmes once new building regulations come into force in 2025.

• Speed: Short and certain construction programmes mean revenue streams can be accessed as soon as possible, allowing investors to reinvest income into new housing.

• Energy bills: ilke Homes' innovative design techniques lead to lower average energy bills. As households struggle with the cost of living crisis, firms that are able to reduce the burden of energy bills are increasingly attractive affordable housing providers.

ilke Homes will be submitting a Reserved Matters planning application to Thanet District Council at the end April and subject to planning, anticipate starting work on site in early 2024.

Tom Heathcote, executive director of development at ilke Homes, said: "ilke Homes continues to partner with some of the country's most well-known housing associations, largely in part to our ability to deliver high quality, energy-efficient homes quickly. The Riverside Group, as part of its adopted ESG strategies, has acknowledged the increasing importance of sustainability and our partnership will help future-proof their investment from rapidly changing building regulations and government guidelines.

"We look forward to working with both local planning officials and other stakeholders to progress the proposals through planning to deliver a truly sustainable and well-designed community that will be providing much-needed, high-quality housing for the area."