UK INDUSTRY NEWS Castleoak and Pobl Bring Low-carbon Homes to Newport Wales-based organisations, Pobl and Castleoak are partnering to bring sustainable homes supported by Welsh Government funding. The timber frames for the homes will be prefabricated at Castleoak’s offsite manufacturing facility in Ebbw Vale before being assembled on-site. Alway in Newport will gain 39 low-carbon affordable homes as Castleoak and Pobl partner on a project at the former site of the Ladyhill Day Centre and Seven Stiles pub. Castleoak specialises in later living and social housing, has partnered with Pobl, a not-for-profit housing organisation, to bring 20 two-bedroom and 19 three-bedroom homes to the one-hectare site. The project is partly funded by the Welsh Government’s £155million Innovative Housing Programme, which seeks to use offsite construction to bring low-carbon affordable homes to Wales. The frames of the homes will be made at Castleoak’s offsite manufacturing facility in Ebbw Vale, including pre-fitted windows and insulation, and adapted to house specialist mechanical and electric solutions and smart water cylinders, aiming to maximise energy efficiency. The homes will also have roof solar panels and storage batteries, further minimising the homes’ lifetime carbon footprint and energy costs.
Former Crest Nicholson Boss Joins ilke Homes
Once created, they will be assembled at the site by Castleoak’s construction team. Andrew Duggan, Managing Director of Offsite Manufacturing at Castleoak said: “Our homes can help us live happier and more fulfilling lives. Increasingly that means buildings which can give us good conscience and reduce the pull on our pursestrings through lower energy costs. That’s what we’re going to bring to Alway. It’s fantastic to be working with Pobl to bring truly low-carbon, affordable homes to people in Newport, not just through the fabric of the buildings, but also through innovative energy solutions which will help to keep costs low for future residents.”
The former boss of one of the country’s largest listed housebuilders has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer at ilke Homes. Former Crest Nicholson Chief Executive, Patrick Bergin is joining the modular housebuilder following three years of rapid growth, in which it has grown its order book to over £200million – putting it on par with some of the UK’s largest developers. Bergin, who joins with 15 years’ of experience in housebuilding, rose through the ranks at Crest Nicholson where he held numerous senior roles, including the company’s Chief Operating Officer from 2016 to 2018. In his role as Chief Financial Officer at the FTSE250 housebuilder between 2011 and 2016, Bergin was instrumental in Crest Nicholson’s successful initial public offering in 2013. Bergin successfully grew revenue by 90% in the three years that followed the company’s stock market launch. Bergin, backed by his years of experience at a volume housebuilder and in public markets, has been brought in to contribute to the strategic management of the business as it enters this period of rapid growth and ensure that management processes and controls are appropriate for the enlarged operation.
Gavin Howells, Senior Project Manager at Pobl Group added: “Pobl has a growing reputation for delivering forward thinking housing solutions, and we are excited to be working with Castleoak on this project that will deliver much needed affordable and truly sustainable homes for Newport. We’re grateful for the support of the Welsh Government & Newport City Council on this project and we share their ambitions to create high quality places to live – and we look forward to working with the Alway community on this new venture.” Source: www.castleoak.co.uk
Bergin’s appointment comes at a time when an increasing number of investors, developers, housing associations and councils are turning to offsite manufacturing to deliver greener homes at pace. Changing building regulations, a worsening housing crisis and pressure from policymakers to reduce emissions produced by the UK’s housing stock, mean many in the housebuilding industry are being forced to innovate at a pace they are incapable of. Patrick Bergin said: “To successfully transition to a net zero economy by 2050, there requires a significant step change in the way the UK builds homes. Regulatory pressures, challenges to traditional models of delivery and the urgent need to decarbonise housing mean that there has never been a more crucial time for UK house building to innovate and adopt more modern methods of construction. Following several years of intense research and development, I believe ilke Homes’ lowcarbon, energy-efficient solution to housing makes the company a firm market-leader. I expect the company’s strong growth trajectory to be maintained in the years to come as more investors look to go green quickly.” Source: www.ilkehomes.co.uk
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WWW.OFFSITEMAGAZINE.CO.UK | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021
