In England, The Hyde Group is calling on lenders to support the growing move towards modular construction techniques and grant mortgages on the same level as is done with traditionally built homes. Hyde hosted a think tank to discuss ways to speed up housing construction in London and south east England, as well as the need for the industry to accept Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), especially given the shortage of skilled labor in the trades that is raising build costs, according to 24dash.com. David Gannicott, Group Director of Development for Hyde, says, “Now more than ever, the time is right for the sector to take up the many attractions that modular building and other advanced manufacturing approaches can bring to the industry, such as time savings and increased job opportunities; but unless it is fully embraced by the private sale sector, its large-scale uptake will be slow.” He added that Hyde can only build new affordable housing by generating profits from the sale of private homes. Think tank participants agreed that innovations in digital engineering combined with offsite construction has the potential to solve the shortage. As MHProNews reported Feb. 24, 2014, several modular projects are in the works. ##
