Work has started on site as Rollalong, the largest permanent offsite construction company in the south of England, announces a £6.3 million partnership with pioneering regeneration company Be First.

Modern methods of construction (MMC) specialist Rollalong has been appointed to design and build 19 modular homes for the London borough of Barking and Dagenham from its 11-acre manufacturing and head office site in Dorset.

With more than 50 years’ experience, Rollalong specialises in the design, manufacture and construction of permanent buildings using offsite techniques to deliver high quality, efficient and economic buildings.

Owned by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham council but operating independently, Be First is working on a number of residential schemes in the borough using various modern methods of construction (MMC) to accelerate growth, by providing quality homes for the area and creating new job opportunities for the community.

The two developments of spacious and energy-efficient homes will include a three-storey apartment block featuring six individual apartments at Mellish Close and a four-storey apartment block that will house 13 individual apartments on Sugden Way.

With the production of the homes already under way at Rollalong’s Dorset factory, Sugden Way is scheduled to reach completion early next year, meanwhile, site works are due to start at Mellish Close in November and are expected to be completed in the middle of next year.

The Managing Director of Rollalong, Steve Chivers, said:

“We are proud to have been awarded the design and build of two modular apartment blocks in partnership with Be First. These builds will provide a range of high-quality, affordable housing for people in Barking and Dagenham.

“There is a shortage of housing in the borough and with traditional methods of home building taking up to two years, our modular alternatives offer a real opportunity to start to address the shortfall in approximately half the time.”

Iain Ferguson, Commercial Director at Be First, said:

“Our goal is to speed up regeneration by creating great places and building successful communities.

“We are not just about bricks and mortar, we’re about making our borough an attractive and vibrant place to live, work and play.”

Rollalong will manufacture a total of 64 modules for this development, designed to create low-energy, high-quality modular homes in environmentally friendly, factory-controlled conditions.