
Monday 21 August 2017
The houses each have a balcony, micro kitchen with dining table, bathroom, sofa space and a mezzanine floor with a desk, double bed and wardrobe.
They also come with almost no bills – their roofs are covered in solar panels that charge a battery, they have insulation inside and out, heat recovery ventilation and large triple glazed windows.
Maintenance costs should be low too – with the outside of the building designed to last 20 years before needing work done on it.
Admittedly, they're not the biggest – at 22.4 square metres, excluding the balcony – but there are larger versions available with two bedrooms, a separate kitchen and far larger living area and bathroom for £110,000 to £115,000 (depending on the cladding).
The better news for people renting is that tenants get a lease purchase, which means after 25 years they get to keep the house.
The houses don't need planning permission to put up, and are built off-site so can be put in place in a matter of days.
"We need to look far beyond the conventional if we are to tackle the UK's housing crisis and this concept is an outstanding example of what can be achieved by thinking creatively," said Miles Watkins, BRE business development director.
The company even has a funding partner that will build, maintain and lease pods back to local authorities and NHS trusts for use as key worker housing in exchange for long term leases for air rights above their car parks.
4 year lawful development rule could end in April 2023
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