Valerie visits LoCal Homes Factory

I was delighted to visit LoCal Homes Factory on Friday 30 June 2017 which uses low carbon timber frames and a range of innovative techniques to build homes that are energy efficient and affordable in Walsall South.

I met with the local workers and Chris Handy, Chief Executive of Caldmore Accord, to discuss low carbon housing solutions across the UK. I also met with Alan Yates (Executive Director of Regeneration), John Bedford (Director of Project Development).

In 2012 I visited the first low carbon timber home development constructed by the Accord Group at Whitworth Close in Darlaston with the former Shadow Housing Minister Jack Dromey MP. I am pleased to hear that Accord Group are continuing to manufacture around 200 environmentally friendly homes each year, creating a number of vital jobs for local people.

The level of affordable house building has fallen to a 24-year low, homelessness has doubled, and the number of young homeowners has fallen by a third of a million since 2010.

Given the housing shortage crisis, it is vital that we see many more factories like LoCal Homes across the UK.