Persimmon Homes has been granted permission to build ‘the biggest timber frame factory in the UK’.
The housebuilding company will construct the new Space4 manufacturing facility on the Garendon Park Sustainable Urban Extension, on the edge of Loughborough.
The factory will produce timber frame units for up to 7,000 homes a year and is set to be fully operational towards the end of 2025.
Up to 120 new jobs for Loughborough and the surrounding areas will be created.
It comes soon after specialist MMC consultancy, Akerlof, was appointed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to head up a team of firms to help shape a new Modern Methods of Construction Standardisation Research and Kit-of-Parts project.
Professional services firm, Buro Happold, HLM Architects, and project management specialist, Limberger Associates, are on Akerlof’s team, with the Offsite Alliance as a stakeholder for the project.
A kit-of-parts typically denotes a collection of building components that are pre-engineered and designed for assembly in a range of ways to create a building.
The Garendon Park Extension comprises more than 3,000 properties on the Garendon Park estate where Persimmon’s North Midlands team is the main developer.
More than £43 million will be paid to support local infrastructure delivery and economic development from the schemes.
The new Space4 facility will employ Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) systems and the latest automation technology as part of the manufacturing process, with timber coming from sustainable forestry sources.
MMC enables improved speed and consistency in the quality of homes built, with timber frame homes believed to be around 20% more efficient than traditional methods.
“We’re delighted to have received approval for our new Space4 facility and I want to thank Charnwood Borough Council for their support,” said Gareth Wicks, managing director designate at Space4.
“We’re committed to creating vibrant, successful communities with the environment in mind. We’ll continue to work in partnership with the council and other stakeholders to ensure our new Space4 factory delivers real benefits for local industry and the wider Loughborough community.”
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