“Buildability issues” had forced housing association back to the drawing board on 120-home site
Housing association Stonewater is looking for a contractor to replace the collapsed modular builder Ilke Homes on a delayed 120-home scheme in Hereford.
The organisation has posted a contract notice for a £5.5m job to complete the College Road scheme after Ilke, the main contractor, went into administration in June this year owing £320m to creditors.
Stonewater said the scheme had already been delayed by “design and buildability” issues with the homes’ modular designs.
While the roof of a traditionally constructed apartment block on the site has progressed, the association was forced to submit revised designs to Herefordshire council in January 2023 to change the scheme’s modular flat roofed homes into traditional pitched roofs.
The revisions were granted approval and were underway at the time of Ilke’s collapse.
Stonewater said: ”Works were initially delayed due to design and buildability issues with the proposed modular flat roofs. This resulted in a planning non-material amendment being obtained revising the design to traditional pitch roofs.
“These works have commenced. However, the main contractor entered into administration on 12th June 2023 and the build contract has been terminated.”
>> Also read: What went wrong for Ilke Homes?
A spokesperson for Stonewater added: “Stonewater and Ilke took the decision to review the roof designs and agreed to alter them.”
Original outline consent for the scheme, located on the former Holmer Trading Estate, had been granted to Codex Land PCC in 2018.
These plans, designed by architect Pad Design, were then transferred to Stonewater and Ilke Homes in 2020 with the consent refined in a reserved matters application to include flat roofs in order to provide a more “contemporary” design.
The change to pitched roofs for the modular homes was granted earlier this year and has since progressed.
The deadline for tenders or requests to participate to finish the scheme is on 20 October, with invitations to tender due to be sent out on 23 October.
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