Councils across the UK have abandoned projects involving modern methods of construction (MMC) amid issues around cost and quality, a UK parliamentary committee has heard.
Many councils now have a “pretty negative view” of MMC projects and have done away with them entirely, Anna Clarke, director of policy and public affairs at the Housing Forum, said in an evidence session in Westminster on Tuesday (4 March).
In a meeting she attended on Monday (3 March) with councils, “almost all” said they had tried MMC projects and would not try them again, Clarke told the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.
Of particular concern was the higher costs associated with MMC projects. But Clarke also said councils did not find MMC projects were of a higher quality than traditional builds, as had been promised.
“In theory, you can control quality in factories, [but] that wasn’t their experience on the ground,” she said.
“Some of that quality issue was around the interface between the unit and the groundworks and how it plugs in effectively.”
agged concerns that the regulator is taking up to 48 weeks to approve plans for medium-to-high-rise buildings of more than 11 metres in height.
Under the Building Safety Act 2022’s gateway two process, the BSR must review and approve full plans before construction can begin. The legislation stipulates that the BSR should complete this review within 12 weeks.
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