Modular builder TopHat is to supply 183 factory-built homes to the next phase of the Kitchener Barracks development in Chatham, Kent.
The planning application, submitted to Medway Council this week, includes proposals for the construction of three four-storey factory-built blocks of apartments, which will comprise 96 one- and two-bedroom homes.
All of the 96 apartments will be built at TopHat’s factory in South Derbyshire. They will be fitted with technology to allow data to be collected from heating, electrical, and other home systems. Occupants will be able to use the data to control their energy use, which TopHat claimed would make home maintenance easier by, for example, instantly diagnosing a faulty circuit.
TopHat is delivering a total of 302 homes at the 4.8-acre Kitchener Barracks site in three phases. More than 100 homes have already delivered by the modular housing company.
TopHat is backed by a £75m investment from US investment bank Goldman Sachs
In addition to the 183 homes, TopHat’s planning application for the third phase of the project includes a proposal to repurpose an early 20th-century barracks to deliver 68 apartments and 19 two- and four-bedroom houses.
Dating from 1757 and named after Earl Kitchener in 1928, the Kitchener Barracks site was most recently used as accommodation for the Royal School of Military Engineering.
Krishan Pattni, chief design officer and founding director at TopHat, said: “By diversifying our product range, we are now able to deliver a higher volume of homes to a wider range of partners. Our company continues to grow, and I’m pleased that the quality of our homes is being recognised by significant partnerships with industry leaders such as BoKlok.
“For investors investing in long-term income-producing assets like affordable housing, build-to-rent and co-living, it is crucial to have certainty that a project will be delivered on time so revenue streams can be accessed as early as possible and that the homes are cost- and maintenance-efficient throughout their use.”
