Liverpool to become the centre of excellence for offsite construction
Mayor Steve Rotheram has opened up a new house in the city which shows how the region could become the centre of excellence for zero-carbon, low-energy cost properties.
Yesterday, on Monday 9th September, the Mayor opened a new home that has been constructed on the ACC Liverpool waterfront events campus, using offsite construction methods. It has come as part of the Future Homes LCR plan – a scheme that aims to accelerate the development of ultra-low carbon housing across the region.
The waterfront house has been constructed using a light-gauge steel frame, clad with insulation and brick slips to create well-insulated, airtight building with an energy performance (EPC) rating of 100%.
With the homes being so sustainable, a major benefit is that in some cases they could have zero bills. In other cases, some properties will have heating, hot water and lighting bills of £124-a-year, which could provide a huge boost for the economy as well as generating significant energy saving benefits and carbon emission reductions.
‘The country is in the throes of a housing crisis that is driving up prices, creating homelessness, and holding back our economic growth. For too long, we have faced national governments that have ignored the growing crisis, but we have a new government that wants to tackle it head on,’ Mayor Rotheram said. ‘Keir Starmer’s pledge to build 1.5 million homes is exactly the bold action we need, and I want as many of them to be built here in the Liverpool City Region as possible. With innovative solutions like modular construction, we can make a massive dent in that target and deliver homes faster, more affordably, and sustainably.’
He added: ‘As Mayor, I’m committed to overseeing an affordable housing revolution in our region – including the return of large-scale council house building. We’ve got the skills, the expertise, and the determination to make this a success, and we stand ready to work with the government and legislated providers to make it happen.’
The house that was unveiled yesterday will remain in place by the Wirral-based Starship Group – one of the leading manufacturers of zero-carbon prefabricated housing components – during Labour Party Annual Conference from September 22 – 25. It will then be disassembled and rebuilt at Starship’s Wirral Waters campus and become a prototype house used to promote MMC, and for training purposes.
Liverpool City Council Leader and lead member for innovation at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Cllr Liam Robinson, said: ‘We desperately need more homes to be built in Liverpool to ease the housing crisis and reduce the number of families on the waiting list for social housing. Working with our partners in the public and private sector, we are determined to deliver innovative solutions that are eco-friendly and energy efficient, helping us meet our ambitions around Net Zero and also cutting bills.’
Image: Jiamin Huang
