Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Swedish furnishing retailer IKEA together with the construction company Skanska conceptualized the BoKlok affordable modular housing concept in the 1990s. Giving life to the vision, the collaboration has entered an agreement with Worthing Borough Council in West Sussex to build 162 such affordable prefab homes at Fulbeck Avenue in West Worthing, England.
Councillor Heather Mercer, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Customer Services, which includes housing, said,
Providing good-quality affordable housing is a perennial problem across the south east but it is one that as a Council we will continue to find creative ways to address. This innovative proposal ticks so many boxes and would help us provide much-needed good-quality housing to hundreds of hard-working families. I look forward to seeing the plans progress in the coming months.
BoKlok homes will be affordable for local working professionals including nurses, sales clerks, single parents and young families wanting to own a home.
As per the agreement, the Council would have control on 30% of the newly built homes in lieu of the cost of the land used for construction. These houses will be reserved for social housing to locals.
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Worthing Borough Council has also agreed to develop a wider program of delivering 500 new homes to Worthing residents.
Till date, BoKlok has built over 11,000 homes (sold at IKEA stores) in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway. Now, the vision is to expand into constructing apartments, single-family houses, townhouses and accommodation for senior citizens.
Featured Image: Artists’ impression of the homes – Via: Worthing Council
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