WORK is well underway on a 221 “flat-pack” home development creating a new mini-village on the outskirts of Southend. 

Developer Ilke Homes is making good progress on the development on Fossetts Way, close to Waitrose.

Images show some of the homes taking shape on the site.

The new homes are being manufactured in a factory in north Yorkshire, before the different parts are driven down to Southend and then constructed on site - taking just hours per home, the firm claims.

Modular home elements, believed to be heading to the development, have become a regular sight being driven down the A130, A127 and Sutton Road on flat-bed trucks.

Echo: Under construction - The Ilke Homes siteUnder construction - The Ilke Homes site (Image: Newsquest)

“It’s quite novel to see parts of a home being driven down a road, especially the smaller ones, but residents haven’t raised any complaints with me ,” St Lukes Ward Labour councillor Martin Berry said.

“I am glad the development is starting to take shape, it took a while in the planning stages, but this build design has meant that construction is thankfully shaping up to be a much quicker process.

Echo: Final vision - A CGI of how the finished development will lookFinal vision - A CGI of how the finished development will look (Image: Ilke Homes)

“These are eco-friendly homes, that are within realist financial reach of residents and as such are a great benefit to Southend.”

All 221 of the homes are set to be classed as “affordable”, with 54 set to be “zero carbon”, meaning they will generate their own source of energy, helping to drastically reduce emissions produced by utilities such as electricity and heating.

The full development is set to complete by Autumn 2024. 

A spokesman for Ilke Homes said: “Precision-engineering techniques mean that Ilke Homes will be able to deliver the scheme’s factory-built homes in half the time of traditional methods.

“By manufacturing offsite, the homes delivered will be of the highest quality as Ilke Homes is able to benchmark standards at numerous stages of the build cycle.

“By harnessing artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital design, the modular housing company is capable of creating homes that are incredibly well insulated, meaning less heat escapes, consequently reducing bills.”