New '˜quick fix' modular homes for the homeless in Milton Keynes

Hundreds of new flat pack modular cube homes are to be erected as a quick fix bid to solve the city homelessness crisis.

MK Council plans to buy the first 66 stackable units over the next few months and, if the project is successful, 300 more will follow.

The eco pre-fabs, which can come highly insulated and ready fitted with electrical wiring, can be put up in days.

They can be used singly, arranged in a terrace or even stacked on top of each other to form low-rise flats.

So far, Labour Cabinet members are keeping the location of the new ‘modular mini estate’ a secret.

“I cannot reveal the exact site yet, but it is part of a grid square in the north of the city,” said councillor Nigel Long.

The move comes as MK’s homelessness figures continue to pose a huge problem for the council.

Hundreds of families are living in temporary accommodation and dozens of people are sleeping on the streets.

The modular units, though technically classed as temporary, could pose less of a strain on the council budget than for than private rented flats or bed and breakfast.

Chelmsford council is planning to invest £2 million in modular housing, while Watford Borough is launching a nine home pilot scheme.

Labour councillor and parliamentary candidate Hannah O’Neill has praised the initiative but is still pushing the government’s investment cap to be removed, enabling the council to build “massively” more permanent homes on land it owns.

A single modular housing unit can be bought for less than £50,000. The erection costs are minimal as they come in a flat pack, ready to go.

All they need is a level surface.