In 2005, the Labour government launched a competition to change the way houses were built. The £60,000 House design competition, led by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, aimed to provide low-cost, sustainable housing through the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).
Among the winners, the 122-unit Oxley Woods community completed in 2007 was built using prefabricated components and was considered the most “revolutionary” by the judges. When first arriving in MK, the buildings looked quite special.
However, seven years after completion, the Oxley Woods community was plagued by a host of problems such as leaks, dampness, and other related issues.
The investigation report did not blame specific members of the construction team, including architect RSHP, developer Taylor Wimpey, or MMC contractor Wood Newton.
The Oxley Woods residents who foot the bill naturally had to endure, considering they had spent at least £200,000 on their homes. A fact-check on Rightmove revealed that in the same area, a four-bedroom terraced house built using MMC at Oxley Woods sold for £330,000, while another built using traditional construction methods was priced at £400,000, meaning that the former earned slightly less up until today.