Innovative temporary accommodation scheme for homeless people on Ashford car park continues to scoop prestigious awards

An ambitious scheme by Ashford Borough Council which is creating high quality temporary accommodation apartments for homeless people on an under-used car park on the edge of Ashford Town Centre continues to shine in prestigious awards schemes.

The council is delivering the project with ZED PODS, an award-winning British modular company, to design and build 23 high-quality, extremely energy efficient, factory-produced modular homes for the site. The last of the modules were delivered and installed last month and site work is continuing before the first occupants move in later this summer.

In recent times, the Henwood car park project has been shortlisted as a finalist in eight categories across five different award organisers, including the Constructing Excellence (London & South East region) 2024 Awards, where the project won the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) award last month.

A giant crane lifted each of the 12 tonne modules into position on top of framework of steel podiums as the dream of creating the council’s first 'net zero carbon in operation' homes comes closer to reality. This is the first-of-its-kind modular development in the borough.

The council successfully applied for financial support from Homes England for the scheme – the Government is contributing £80,000 per unit, making a total of £1,840,000 towards the scheme costs of £7.4m.

The quality of the homes is a standout feature of the project. Originally it was planned to use converted shipping containers but the ZED PODS product is far superior because of its ‘green’ credentials – relevant to the council’s ambitions to be a Green Pioneer. The project has evolved from being basic accommodation to the modular solution that is more sustainable for the long-term.

The Henwood TA scheme

The 23 units of short-stay apartments will be a stepping stone until individuals or households who have become homeless are able to move-on to more permanent accommodation. Not only will the scheme make savings for the council’s General Fund over the life of the project, homeless people staying there will enjoy better living conditions.

Scheme named Fortis House

Fortis House is derived from the close proximity to Martyrs’ Field and fits with the purpose of the accommodation, a place where people can find their feet again. So while it links to past events it’s also reflective of a secure place where people can build a new life for themselves.

Fortis (Latin) = strong, brave, firm, courageous, bold.

More information on Martyrs Field

Zero carbon homes

These homes are highly-insulated and triple-glazed, with heat recovery ventilation and featuring 180 solar panels integrated into the roof. The fabric of the building is designed to create zero operational carbon homes with very low energy consumption and running costs. One of the benefits of using modular construction is that the disruption on site to surrounding residents and businesses during construction will be less than a traditional build.

Sense of community

The 23 self-contained homes are a mix of 13 one-bed, nine two-bed and one three-bed dwellings, to ensure a mix of individuals and families can be accommodated. This diversity will help foster a sense of community and makes the site easier to manage. There is a large enclosed communal garden and parking bays for 19 vehicles are included, including two disabled bays.

A look inside one of the modular homes

Modular build is a first for Ashford

• Each apartment is occupied by a single household, with their own front door.
• The apartments are built to meet and exceed Nationally Described Space Standards for new dwellings, people can move in with their belongings plus there is the additional space under the apartments to store items such as cycles with practical shelving / racking.
• All apartments have a private outdoor balcony.
• Landscaped gardens designed by a landscape architect to create sociable spaces and high quality outdoor green space.
• Plenty of light, the apartments are dual-aspect.
• A secure environment (meeting the police security high standard Secured-by-Design).
• Highly efficient homes with low running costs.
• These apartments are Build Off-site Property Assurance Scheme (BOPAS)-accredited meaning they will stand the test of time for at least 60 years.
• Owned and managed by Ashford Borough Council.

Flooding resilience

While sitting within a flood zone, by placing the homes on stilts and raising them to a 2.4m height means they will withstand even the most extreme 100-year climate change flooding event.

For details visit the Zed Pods website.