The Public Housing Shortage...Why not bring back "Prefabs"?

[shoeshine 10]

OK, many of the nation's people and its youngsters are finding private housing virtually impossible to afford.

 

After WW2 the returning troops needed homes to rent in which to raise their families.

 

Pre-fabricated homes were a rapid answer to the housing shortage. In due course their occupants were able to move into more traditional housing provided at public expense for rental, or buy their own houses from a growing stock of private, traditional-build homes as family finances improved.

 

The Governments of the day started a massive post-war building programme in traditional materials and the prefabs were ultimately demolished.

 

Factory-built prefabricated housing and its design using modern materials has moved forward tremendously in the last 60 years. The concept is used in quite a few countries. Why not here in Britain?

 

We need to learn the lessons of history and provide housing for all. Prefabs are low cost options for medium term occupation and could provide reasonable habitation for younger people completely unable to contemplate purchasing a new home, and many more are likely to be forced to rent from private landlords.

 

What's your view?

[Salster! 10]

My mum was bought up in prefrabs on Brinsworth in Rotherham. She says they were the best years of her life.

 

If there was an option to do this at an obviously reduced cost of a standard house, I think it would be a great idea.

 

It would be a place of my own and I would be able to upgrade as required.

 

As it stands at the moment I don't have nearly enough money to buy.

[mikey10 10]

where i work some offices have been set up using portocabins. inside they are brilliant. a idea came to mind, why not stick a couple on some land. two bed house in a day. probably cost 10 grand....

[andysvan 10]

That's far too sensible for this government.

[Cyclone 10]

The shortage of housing in the UK is caused by a shortage of land. Unless you can prefabricate new land then the idea doesn't address the real problem.

[mikey10 10]

The shortage of housing in the UK is caused by a shortage of land. Unless you can prefabricate new land then the idea doesn't address the real problem.

 

thers plenty of brownfield sites in sheffield but its expensive to reclaim.

[Cyclone 10]

Yeah and that doesn't change whether you are build a house a flat or putting up pre fab. It's the preparation that is expensive.

[Salster! 10]

The shortage of housing in the UK is caused by a shortage of land. Unless you can prefabricate new land then the idea doesn't address the real problem.

 

But if the land wasn't being sold to people wanting to build giant supermarkets, malls, and retail parks then maybe it would be an idea.

[shoeshine 10]

Yeah and that doesn't change whether you are build a house a flat or putting up pre fab. It's the preparation that is expensive.

 

There is no shortage of land! Look around you? There's land all over the country! In fact the "country" is the land, is it not?

 

There are millions of acres of farm land in Britain with its owners paid by the taxpayer, through the EU system to sit back and grow nowt!

[mikey10 10]

i think there may be problems in the future with all these appartments being built in town centres. i suppose most are young professional people, but not all. what happens in ten years time when they have kids? there'll be a glut of appartments for sale, prices will fall. i also feel that the novelty will wear off. who wants to live in the city centre with all the fumes and noise on a day like this?

[Bago 10]

Yet, do we really want to destroy the green lands that this country offers? I'd say no! Don't even think about it. I think one of the thing that I do like about the UK is the fact that there is always greenery that you can see. 1-2's hour drive away, and you will end up somewhere green. In some countries and cities, this is not possible.

 

I like the idea of a pre-fab. In fact, I love the German Hufhauses.

 

Are we really that short of accomodations?

Despite the fact that we have a lot of high rises and flats, which I do dislike, but if it fills the gap for a while, then why not?

 

Anyway, there's still a lot of the old public housing which are being refurbished and still used today. Not all of them are demolished at all. Cities are still expanding on lands, and old factories are now being refurbished. So, there still are a lot of accomodation which will be on offer.

 

I think it's important to preserve some historical buildings than to always knock down everything and improve it for new. I don't like that idea.

[Ms Macbeth 73]

What about these then? http://www.renovationcentral.co.uk/2007/04/18/news-ikea-goes-from-furniture-to-houses/

 

Ikea strikes again, although probably not in Sheffield!