Liverpool City Region chosen for £85m construction pilot

A site from Onward Homes and another from Torus Developments will become testbeds for a national programme to provide digitally manufactured, standardised kits of parts to speed up the delivery of sustainable social housing, schools, hospitals, and more.

Liverpool City Region was selected by UK Research and Innovation as the pilot for its Industrialising and Digitalising Construction Challenge, an £85m programme rethinking how the country approached construction, with an emphasis on manufacturing.

The challenge will not only see the creation of standardised kits of parts, but also a digital platform for these parts to be sourced and certified.

The precise projects from Onward and Torus that will be utilise the kits of parts have not yet been confirmed. Findings from those sites, when they are announced, will be used to finalise a standardised delivery model to be rolled out across the country.

“Being part of this programme gives us the opportunity to bring greater consistency and predictability into how we build, improving programme certainty, and strengthening long-term value for our residents,” said Onward chief executive Sandy Livingstone.

“To achieve this, we need to innovate and change the way we build by harnessing the advanced manufacturing capacity that exists in Merseyside. Delivering more high-quality social housing will directly benefit the people who depend on us and the community as a whole.”

Torus Developments managing director Chris Bowen added: “By embracing new approaches through this initiative, we can deliver better quality homes in a way that supports skills, local supply chains and regeneration in our communities.

“With the country in desperate need of more high-quality affordable homes, it is vital initiatives that can accelerate delivery are explored if we are to cut waiting lists and reduce the number of people living in temporary accommodation.”

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said he was proud that the city region had been chosen as a pilot for the programme.

“Having started my own career as a bricklayer, I understand first-hand the pressures facing the construction sector,” he said. “But to deliver on the government’s mission to get Britain building again, it needs to adapt with the times.”

Rotheram added: “If we get this right, we won’t just build the next generation of affordable social housing, schools and hospitals — we’ll strengthen UK supply chains, boost productivity, and give manufacturers the confidence to invest in skills and capacity, helping to create good jobs, and drive growth across the country”.

Science minister Lord Patrick Vallance said: “We are beginning our mission to transform the UK’s construction industry in Liverpool – a city which has long been at the forefront of innovation and creativity.

“The digital technologies and manufacturing methods developed here will help us speed up how we can build more homes, schools, and hospitals right across the UK,” he continued.

“This work will help us set the benchmark for how we deliver high-quality infrastructure more efficiently, directly benefitting communities. By supporting this initiative, we are backing more high-skilled jobs for Liverpool while also bringing our construction industry into the digital age.”

Those who will be helping with the pilot programme include Lisa Ashby Dowling, Mark Farmer, Gaynor Tennant, Dave Dargan, Matt Egan, Dan Jervis, Joe Darlington, Sue Hine, Keith Waller, Rachael Baker, Katie Rudin, Dale Milburn, Ellie Fielding, and Ron Lang. Credit: via High Value Manufacturing Catapult

High Value Manufacturing Catapult is assisting the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on the initiative. The challenge team also includes Innovate UK, Jacobs, MTS, Starship Group, Atkins, Akerlof, and Offsite Alliance.

High Value Manufacturing Catapult chief executive Katherine Bennett said: “Our focus is on turning ambition into action. By bringing together manufacturers, housing providers and public clients around shared standards and clearer demand signals, we can give industry the confidence to invest and expand capacity. That is how we move from isolated successes to a more resilient and competitive construction sector.”

Dave Dargan, chief executive of developer, contractor, and MMC specialist Starship, praised the government’s ambition to embrace innovation in construction.

“By applying a manufacturing approach and platform thinking, we have a real opportunity to deliver high-performing homes and social infrastructure at scale, while building long-term capability across the supply chain,” Dargan said.