Barking Council has utilised the modular construction method to ensure a quick delivery of much-needed homes in the area.

Be First, the council's pioneering regeneration company, commissioned specialist construction company Rollalong to build and deliver the 13 modular homes for Sugden Way, which are built offsite and then bolted together and finished on site.

The first modules were lifted into place on Monday 20 January and the last arrived on Monday 27 January – making a delivery in just six days.


The modern construction method is widely used on the continent and has become renowned for its quality, since the majority of the construction work can be done in controlled conditions and tested rigorously.

Rollalong Managing Director Steve Chivers commented: "I was very proud to see the initial delivery of modules to the site. It is a very exciting project which will provide a range of high-quality, affordable housing for people in Barking and Dagenham, and we’re very pleased with progress so far.

"There is a shortage of housing in the borough and our modular alternatives to traditional construction offer a real opportunity to address the shortfall in approximately half the time."

Tom Mather, Construction Director at Be First, added: "I am delighted with the pace and delivery of the project to date. This is very much the future of the building industry and we expect to use offsite construction regularly, since we can reliably deliver more quality homes much more quickly."

(CM/JG)