The Association of British Insurers published its recommendations to ensure that plans for an extra 200,000 homes in the South East, by 2016, take into account the increasing risks from flooding and climate change. One-third of the new developments across the growth areas are located in the floodplain.
According to the report, Making Communities Sustainable, these new homes could increase the annual costs of flooding in these areas by 74%, adding £55 million to the annual flood bill unless effective steps are taken to manage the risk. Without proper planning up to 10,000 new properties could potentially be located in areas at significant risk of flooding.
However, the report shows that a strong planning policy, fully implemented by local authorities and developers, could reduce flood risks to negligible levels in Ashford, the M11 corridor, and the South Midlands. Robust measures could also reduce flood risks by half in Thames Gateway. The report's key recommendations include:
The first so called flat pack homes to be built on a large scale in the UK could be provided by a joint venture between Ikea and the Hyde Group. The homes will be within a target cost of £70,000 and will aim to meet the needs of those who have difficulty in affording the considerable step onto the first rung of the housing ladder.
IKEA successfully builds cheap housing in its native Sweden and in other parts of Europe. IIkea's last efforts to launch the system in the UK, known as BoKlok (smart living), however, collapsed in 2001 under the weight of UK land prices.
Current proposals will see flats built in blocks of six, and key worker schemes will be key markets. It is reported that the Company is actively looking around Liverpool, Leeds, and Manchester for suitable sites.
The project is believed to involve the Hyde Group, with IKEA stores being the marketing points, and the Association having the development role. The Hyde Group has already erected a block of flat pack homes in Stockwell, using a system designed in Poland by a company called Buma.
