Developer Cubex is to launch a new project to deliver 2,500 sustainable, affordable, modular homes.
It is seeking unconsented land around the South and South West to develop over the next five years.
Cubex co-founder and director Gavin Bridge told EG that his firm aims to be “a serious sector disrupter”.
Cubex aims to develop affordable modular housing using kit parts for housing associations and local authorities. The homes will be designed to be low- and zero-carbon.
The developer is known for its large regenerations around Bristol, with the £275m mixed-use Finzels Reach scheme, backed by Fiera Capital, and its 1,500-home Frome Gateway project, in partnership with PfP Capital.
The plan is the boldest to date of developers seeking to tap modular housing to deliver sustainable, affordable housing at scale.
High upfront costs have been a barrier to modular housing in general. Developers including Urban Splash, Legal & General and ilke Homes have reported losses in the early stages as they established businesses, fronting costs for factories, teams and often land.
Other initiatives such as Public Sector Plc, which was launched specifically to work with local authorities and Reuben Brothers-backed Project Etopia have yet to ramp up development at scale, focusing on a handful of smaller sites to date.
Cubex was established in 2004 and has specialised around Bristol, the South West and South Wales, but it is seeking to expand its footprint into other regions, including the Midlands and the North.
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