Worcester City Council has given the go-ahead for the construction of 16 micro-homes from housing firm iKozie on a brownfield site in the city centre.
Construction is set to start in early 2019, with the homes expected to be ready for the first occupants in autumn 2019.
The scheme will contain a mix of five affordable homes, which will be allocated to individuals put forward from Worcester City Council’s housing list, with the remainder privately rented homes. Of the 16 homes on the plot, two will be disabled-friendly, while a proportion will be double stacked.
The first iKozie home was unveiled by The Homeless Foundation in October 2017. The company’s director Kieran O’Donnell is also a trustee of the charity.
The iKozie homes, designed by O’Donnell and Andrew Eastabrook of Eastabrook Architects, has a footprint of just 17.25 square metres. It features a bedroom, shower room, living area and full kitchen including all appliances. It was inspired by yacht interiors and first-class airline suites.
O’Donnell said: "This is a historic day for the city of Worcester. The approval of the first iKozie community will draw a lot of attention from around the country and Worcester City Council is to be congratulated for its vision in supporting this innovative housing scheme.
"It hasn’t been an easy road to get here as we have revised the plans to ensure the council’s view and the thoughts and concerns of residents near the development have been taken into consideration.
"We also acknowledge the work of Councillor Jabba Riaz for playing a key role in organising productive consultations with residents before he became Mayor of Worcester.
"Now that the plans have been approved, we will begin the process of preparing the site. We expect the major work groundwork to begin in spring 2019 and the first residents to be in by this time next year."
Councillor James Stanley, chair of the City Council’s Communities Committee said: "We are proud to support this application for more iKozie homes in Worcester.”.
"This is a much-needed and innovative housing solution, which will help more people in the city to live independently while also benefitting from being part of a wider community."
