One of Britain’s burgeoning group of Build To Rent operators has struck a deal for 249 of its new homes to let in south London to be constructed in a Shropshire factory.

Essential Living, a developer and operator of homes in the new institutionally-funded Build To Rent sector, has teamed up with Elements Europe, a modular specialist, to deliver its Creekside Wharf scheme in Greenwich.

It is one the first Build To Rent schemes being built this way and each module can be completed within seven days.  

From the 200,000 sq ft Telford-based factory, Elements will send 632 modules to Creekside Wharf – at a rate of 20 a week – from February 2017. The steel-framed modules will fit around the scheme’s concrete core. 

Elements uses traditional construction methods in a controlled factory environment where 60 per cent of the total work is carried out. It will halve the time spent on site to 32 weeks.

Offsite construction is seen as important for many Build To Rent operators to meet their bottom line targets. 

Developments can be finished more quickly since modules can be completed while works begin on-site. Essential Living says enhanced energy efficiency and the ability to refurbish buildings more easily also make off-site construction attractive for its 23 storey scheme.

Essential Living’s first completed Build To Rent scheme – not modular – opens on September 1 in Islington where the 118-home Vantage Point, above Archway Tube station, will give its residents access to a shared penthouse lounge, barbecue area and communal gym and library.