21st Century Prefab Sprout....

[Fab Foodie]

Following WW2 the resulting housing crisis was partially solved by Prefab buildings. My father grew-up in one and for the first time in his life had running water in his home. A few still survive. They were advanced, clean and simple in design.

We're desperately short of low cost accomodation in the UK, it cripples the economy. So why don't we learn from the past?

We could have a 'one-design' prefab concept whose plans were available to any manufacturer. A variety of local and sustainable materials could be adapted for the design. They should be eco/low energy and low maintainance, fast to site and erect and have a defined lifespan. LA's should be given different/easier/simplified planning rules to speed-up their implimentation particularly for council/socisl housing and key-worker accomodation.

An additional model is to rent a plot from the council onto which you can build/place your own 'Tiny-Home' as long as it conforms to certain criteria/specifications. This accomodation could also be readily relocateable. The council owned or managed plot will provide a mains water supply, delectric and drainage refuge collection etc.

Make 2nd home ownership and buy-to-let prohibitively expensive in certain areas. Air B&B should have an extra local tax applied.

We need some different and varied solutions to the accomodation crisis and fast....

 

[mudsticks]

Following WW2 the resulting housing crisis was partially solved by Prefab buildings. My father grew-up in one and for the first time in his life had running water in his home. A few still survive. They were advanced, clean and simple in design.

We're desperately short of low cost accomodation in the UK, it cripples the economy. So why don't we learn from the past?

We could have a 'one-design' prefab concept whose plans were available to any manufacturer. A variety of local and sustainable materials could be adapted for the design. They should be eco/low energy and low maintainance, fast to site and erect and have a defined lifespan. LA's should be given different/easier/simplified planning rules to speed-up their implimentation particularly for council/socisl housing and key-worker accomodation.

An additional model is to rent a plot from the council onto which you can build/place your own 'Tiny-Home' as long as it conforms to certain criteria/specifications. This accomodation could also be readily relocateable. The council owned or managed plot will provide a mains water supply, delectric and drainage refuge collection etc.

Make 2nd home ownership and buy-to-let prohibitively expensive in certain areas. Air B&B should have an extra local tax applied.

We need some different and varied solutions to the accomodation crisis and fast....

These are the sorts of ideas that have been mooted by those of us in the land rights / planning reform / affordable and secure housing movements for decades

Unfortunately a lot of it smacks too much of socialism, and doesn't make vast profits for multiple housebuilders and or private landlords.

Both of which groups have far greater lobbying power and leverage at both local and national government level.

But yes something has to shift sometime soon, there are lots of people trying to make change happen.

Just about to break ground to commence the build on our own securely held agricultural (eco) dwelling
But it's been a twenty year battle to get to this 'happy place'

It shouldn't have to be this difficult to house oneself in this way, but it currently is.

 

[BoldonLad]

Following WW2 the resulting housing crisis was partially solved by Prefab buildings. My father grew-up in one and for the first time in his life had running water in his home. A few still survive. They were advanced, clean and simple in design.

We're desperately short of low cost accomodation in the UK, it cripples the economy. So why don't we learn from the past?

We could have a 'one-design' prefab concept whose plans were available to any manufacturer. A variety of local and sustainable materials could be adapted for the design. They should be eco/low energy and low maintainance, fast to site and erect and have a defined lifespan. LA's should be given different/easier/simplified planning rules to speed-up their implimentation particularly for council/socisl housing and key-worker accomodation.

An additional model is to rent a plot from the council onto which you can build/place your own 'Tiny-Home' as long as it conforms to certain criteria/specifications. This accomodation could also be readily relocateable. The council owned or managed plot will provide a mains water supply, delectric and drainage refuge collection etc.

Make 2nd home ownership and buy-to-let prohibitively expensive in certain areas. Air B&B should have an extra local tax applied.

We need some different and varied solutions to the accomodation crisis and fast....

Isn't the bolded bit essentially what "Park Homes" are?. I know of at least one such location, near Chertsey, not sure who actually owns/runs it, I just cycle past it when visiting Son No. 1, in Windsor.

 

[mudsticks]

Isn't the bolded bit essentially what "Park Homes" are?. I know of at least one such location, near Chertsey, not sure who actually owns/runs it, I just cycle past it when visiting Son No. 1, in Windsor.

Park home sites are usually privately owned with a ground rent to pay to the landlord.

Ownership of the dwelling itself is normally the person living there.
Some but not all have age restrictions - ie they are retirement villages.

They are rarely council owned or housing association managed.
They are commercial enterprises and the usual market forces, and pricing apply.

 

[Ian H]

Park home sites are usually privately owned with a ground rent to pay to the landlord.

Ownership of the dwelling itself is normally the person living there.
Some but not all have age restrictions - ie they are retirement villages.

They are rarely council owned or housing association managed.
They are commercial enterprises and the usual market forces, and pricing apply.

Also the tenants are vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous/rogue landlords - they may own the park home but the legal protections regarding the land are still weak.

 

[BoldonLad]

Park home sites are usually privately owned with a ground rent to pay to the landlord.

Ownership of the dwelling itself is normally the person living there.
Some but not all have age restrictions - ie they are retirement villages.

They are rarely council owned or housing association managed.
They are commercial enterprises and the usual market forces, and pricing apply.

Also the tenants are vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous/rogue landlords - they may own the park home but the legal protections regarding the land are still weak.

Yes, I was vaguely aware there were downsides, however, the principle is similar to that suggested in @fabfoodie’s post.

No doubt a determined Government (I am not suggesting this one) could address the negative aspects.

 

[Pale Rider]

Prefabs worked so well partly thanks to that nice Mr Hitler who created lots of suitable building plots.

We no longer have those, so any attempt to erect prefabs would be mired in the same difficulties as attempts to build new housing on brown and greenfield sites.

Park homes don't quite work for this purpose, not least because of the price of the home.

I suspect units on the site seen by @BoldonLad will be well into six figures.

 

[spen666]

Prefabs worked so well partly thanks to that nice Mr Hitler who created lots of suitable building plots.
....

He did so much for society - clearing sites of slums to allow these new prefabs to be built, getting the trains running on time. He even helped germinate the idea of the European Union by uniting many European nations together🤡🤡🤡

 

[mudsticks]

Also the tenants are vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous/rogue landlords - they may own the park home but the legal protections regarding the land are still weak.

Yup there are often all sorts of clauses and covenants surrounding ownership of the land, and ground rent / service charge hikes that are difficult for private tenants to resist.

Something similar in physicality, but run well by a LA providing security, and fair rents could in theory be made workable, but where is the political will to do it??

I know quite a few folks who are involved in trying to set up housing co ops, and community land trusts and so on.

But you have to be really determined, lucky, and be prepared to put in many many hours of voluntary time to get anywhere near succeeding at that.

It shouldn't be so hard to be able to simply house oneself in a simple but decent fashion, but the hurdles - financial - planning and otherwise, seem to be increasingly insurmountable.

If one was of a conspiratorial frame of mind you could almost imagine that capitalistic property profiteers want to keep the housing system precisely that way on purpose. 🤔

 

[Ian H]

A lot of wood-frame houses appear to be partially pre-fab nowadays, with large factory-assembled sections arriving on lorries to be hoisted and nailed into place.

 

[mudsticks]

A lot of wood-frame houses appear to be partially pre-fab nowadays, with large factory-assembled sections arriving on lorries to be hoisted and nailed into place.

Making livable houses / dwellings really isn't the problem, there's lots of clever low and high tech options, and smart, more eco-friendly methods of construction.

But finding affordable, suitable land, and getting planning permission to put dwellings on it, is a whole other issue.

A lot of land already owned by developers, a proportion of which already has pp to build, but the building is held back because market conditions aren't 'favourable' .

 

[Ian H]

If only local authorities could build houses to rent.

 

[C R]

If only local authorities could build houses to rent.

What are you, some kind of communist? How are the directors of the development companies going to afford their fifth Caribbean holiday of the year if we allow that sort of thing?

 

[newfhouse]

Is it just me that thought the thread was going to be about a Paddy McAloon - King Crimson collaboration and was disappointed?

 

[BoldonLad]

If only local authorities could build houses to rent.

I thought they could now:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...mes-for-first-time-buyers-and-for-social-rent

although, the start date could, perhaps, have been better chosen, given this Governments ability to shoot itself in the foot