A PIONEERING project to bring "factory-made" housing to an area of York has opened the door to huge expansion in the production line for a local firm.

Yorkon, the subsidiary of Portakabin, has now doubled production capacity for its living accommodation module at its 60-acre manufacturing centre in Huntington, following the success of its scheme in Sixth Avenue.

The project saw 24 flats made on the production line then craned into position on a site opposite Tang Hall Primary School. They were ready for occupation early last year

The £2 million four-storey "modular" homes for people on the York housing waiting list were jointly funded by the City of York Council and the housing association Yorkshire Housing.

Together with a similarly acclaimed Yorkon project in Murray Grove, London for the Peabody Trust, the venture has triggered a change in the perception of modular construction for housing.

The system is now set to play a significant role in meeting the Government's announced target of building 3.8 million homes within 25 years.

Keith Blanshard, director and general manager of Yorkon, said: "We are currently working with the office of the Deputy Prime Minister as part of the Off-site Manufacturing Working Group to examine ways in which the Government can help housing associations deliver modular homes."

He said: "The benefits of faster construction, significantly improved quality and flexibility in terms of design are well appreciated. What we need now are more enlightened developers to challenge conventional methods of building and give us the volume to achieve beneficial economies of scale."

The new dedicated production line means that Yorkon now has the capacity to manufacture up to 600 apartments a year, and this could increase with rising demand for off-site construction judging by new orders already being processed.

Yorkon is working on a second development for Peabody Trust to create 53 affordable apartments for shared ownership on a brownfield site in Stoke Newington. Also on site in London is a 30-apartment scheme developed by East Thames Housing Group, and a number of other projects are at design stage.

Off-site construction is also taking off in other sectors. Supermarket chain Tesco is expanding to include stand-alone Tesco Express stores, in addition to supermarkets on petrol forecourts, and a string of new projects are underway in the fast-food, health, transport and education sectors.

Updated: 10:44 Tuesday, January 14, 2003