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Council to sell modular housing bought for homeless people due to high set-up costs
Cornwall Council is selling around half of its modular units bought to house people experiencing homelessness, after saying it would cost around £9m to install them on site.
Council to sell modular housing bought for homeless people due to high set-up costs #UKhousingThe South West authority purchased 79 SoloHaus units in 2021 in response to the significant pressures on housing during the Covid pandemic.
Yet it is now selling 37, including some being decommissioned on a site in Truro alongside others currently in storage.
The authority said the cost associated with building a new site – including design and construction, utilities and access – is on average almost £244,000 per unit.
This would work out at around £9m for all 37 units, and that cost would go up further if it had to purchase land. “This is not a cost we can sustain,” it added.
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The council will soon ask for expressions of interest from third parties who wish to take ownership and repurpose the 37 SoloHaus homes.
It is hoping for bids that focus on housing-led uses that support affordability and homelessness prevention, or deliver community abd social benefits.
Peter La Broy, cabinet member for housing at Cornwall Council, said: “I can understand why the council looked to innovative ideas such as SoloHaus in response to the rising numbers of people finding themselves homeless.
“However, at a time when we are continuing to experience considerable pressures on council budgets, we have a responsibility to our residents to ensure that we’re spending our money wisely.
“The costs of the larger schemes and the time they take to deliver to make them viable is simply too much to allow us to proceed with any further projects.”
Designed by house builder The Hill Group and manufactured by Volumetric Modular, SoloHaus units are purpose-built, self-contained homes with a kitchen, a living and dining area, a bedroom and a bathroom.
The SoloHaus site in Truro was handed over in 2022 on the site of the Old County Hall, and was designed to provide ‘move on’ accommodation for people in urgent housing need.
However, the site is now being decommissioned and new accommodation is being found for the current residents after a planning application was submitted for new homes on the plot.
The council still has other SoloHaus schemes in Longrock near Penzance, Penryn, and Tregunnel in Newquay.
A spokesperson for Hill said: “The installation of the SoloHaus homes is normally included as part of our delivery package.
“However, due to the distance from our main operations, the project management and installation for this project were undertaken entirely by Cornwall Council.
“When Hill oversees the installation directly, the typical cost per unit is £50,000, which includes all planning, site clearance, demolition, foundations, drainage, services and external work costs.”
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