Southampton City Council have recently announced a new plan and partnership with Hugg Homes to provide new homes on otherwise unused sites set aside for development. Taking just four weeks to be installed and furnished these homes are based on a “container format” and provide affordable accommodation.

The first site is on the east side of the city where of the 22 new houses on the estate, six have been taken on by the council to provide social housing for those most in need.  The other 16 will be rented as private accommodation.

Council leader Christopher Hammond labelled the new scheme “a great partnership”. He said: “Everyone deserves a safe, warm and secure home which they can afford. Unfortunately, for many, this isn’t the case.“ We’re facing a shortage of affordable housing both nationally and here in Southampton. This is why we’re working on innovative solutions such as the Hugg Home units, offering a short-term affordable solution to the issue.

It gives those who are in the greatest need of a home somewhere to call their own, while they get themselves in to a position to secure a longer-term permanent residence. Homes chief Councillor Satvir Kaur added: “As we know we have a national homelessness crisis, the need for temporary accommodation is very high at the moment. This is a really innovative way to provide high quality temporary accommodation for families and individuals in need.”

Hugg Chief executive Stephen Wicks said: “As a group we have a long-standing partnership with Southampton City Council via our other developments in the city, so we’ve been able to work creatively together to secure planning permission and bring these high-specification, modular homes forward. Rather than having dormant land lying empty for years, we thought it made much more sense to better utilise the land to meet the need for high-quality housing.”