UK’s first micro-home estate of 16 single-person ‘cabins’ costing just £40k to be built
The mini village of iKozie homes will begin to tackle the homelessness problem
A MINI village of single-person homes has been given the green light by council bosses in what is believed to be the first project of its kind in the world.
The properties cost £40,000 to build, are just a few metres wide and inspired by the layouts of luxury yachts and the first-class cabins of planes.
They will be used to provide accommodation to those on the housing waiting list in Worcester as well as available to commercially let.
Each of the 16 iKozie homes, to be built on a former city centre car park next year, will be 17.25 sq metres and feature a bedroom, shower room, living area and kitchen.
Developers behind the £1 million project believe it could be a template and inspiration for solving housing provision shortfalls across the UK.
iKozie director Kieran 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."
Of the 16 homes on the plot, two will be disabled friendly, while a proportion of them will be double stacked.
Designers say they could also be used to solve homelessness and help to create communities for students and young professionals.
Councillor James Stanley, Chair of the City Council's Communities Committee, added: "We are proud to support this application for more iKozie homes in Worcester.
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"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."
Last year Kieran Evans, 18, became the first person to move in to the innovative homes after it was air-lifted into place by a homeless charity in Barbourne, Worcester.
He said: "I'm ecstatic, genuinely so happy to have my own space. It's like a compact luxury apartment."
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