But offsite adoption is not just about how we build. It also challenges how we think about ownership, value and the relationship between a home and its plot.

In New Zealand recently, I saw a house being carted away whole by truck, freeing its site for redevelopment and being taken off to a used-house lot for resale. It was a striking reminder that a home need not be permanently tied to the land beneath it. That does not resolve UK specific challenges, but it does invite a broader view of housing as something that can be sold, relocated and reused – and the use of vesting or advance payment bonds (Vesting certificate for construction goods plant or materials - Designing Buildings)

It reminded me of the 165,000 Reasons campaign’s (Home - 165,000 Reasons) presentation at UKREiiF, proposing good-quality, relocatable homes on consented but undeveloped land. Alongside addressing immediate housing needs, could this thinking inspire different models for long-term provision—perhaps owning the land while leasing the home?

Such models would need to demonstrate genuine affordability over time and security for residents, rather than simply a lower upfront cost.

‍Offsite’s next breakthrough may depend as much on innovation in ownership and finance as on manufacturing: changing not just how homes are built, but how people can afford and retain them