Homes could end up being dismantled and reused after 10 years, under a new housing association scheme to provide prefabricated homes for short-term rent on brownfield sites in London.
The Peabody Trust wants to use modular "demountable" housing on recycled land where demand for cheap housing is acute and is negotiating with five London councils (Housing Today, 16 May).

Once the 32-unit developments have stood for 10 to 15 years, they would be taken down and replaced with more permanent housing.

The units have a 60-year lifespan, so once dismantled, they could be moved and re-erected in another council area with a shortage of affordable housing, Peabody said this week.

Housing minister Lord Falconer said this month that the government plans to release publicly owned land to provide modular affordable homes for key workers.

Three years ago, Peabody was involved in building and promoting one of the best-known modular prefabricated home developments in Murray Grove, east London.

The market for prefabricated homes has long struggled to get off the ground because its small size until now prevented manufacturers from exploiting economies of scale.