A Cornwall-based modular housing company has been awarded a contract from Pembrokeshire Council to convert former shipping containers into ‘pods’ for homeless people.
ISO Spaces South West Limited was granted the contract by the council to build eight pre-constructed accommodation units, or ‘pods’, each one consisting of two units of one-bedroom self-contained accommodation, with a living/dining/kitchen area and a bathroom, reports the Western Telegraph.
The firm has already created emergency housing from recycled shipping containers for local authorities in Cardiff, Ealing and in Cornwall, as well as retail and commercial units across the UK, all built to meet Uk building regulations.
A spokesperson for Pembrokeshire County Council said that a site for the development had not yet been finalised, but it was land already assigned for potential sites for new council housing developments.
The pods would be moved to a new location when construction of the new housing starts.
Milford Haven councillor Stephen Joseph has championed the use of ‘pods’ or temporary buildings to support homeless people and welcomed the news.
“I have been shouting about it for ages so that’s good news. It’s a subject I feel strongly about and I don’t think we have done enough about it in the past,” he said.
He added that while the number of rough sleepers in the Pembrokeshire area is low, many homeless people are ‘sofa-surfing’.
Cllr Joseph has been working with a Milford Haven church to provide two homeless pods, in partnership with Pembrokeshire Care, for those in need of emergency and temporary accommodation and on the council housing waiting list.
ISO Spaces South West Limited’s website demonstrates how the containers can be transformed into one, two or three-bedroom units with bathroom and kitchen facilities.
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