Feb 2022 | McCarthy Stone to build 50% of its future retirement communities in MMC

McCarthy Stone, the UK’s leading developer and manager of retirement communities, has confirmed that 40 new retirement developments will be built in full using modern methods of construction (MMC), with the business now aiming for 50% of its future retirement communities to be built in this way.

The announcement is part of McCarthy Stone’s commitment to building high-quality, energy-efficient, and affordable retirements communities. This drive supports the Government’s agenda to deliver more supportive housing for older people and provide greener and more affordable homeownership options, all of which are significantly undersupplied in the UK.

The MMC solution will be provided in partnership with Leeds-based Sigmat using its industry-leading, eco-friendly, and dynamic Light Gauge Steel Framing (LGSF) off-site structural solution. The landmark partnership was signed with Sigmat in December 2020 and the first joint scheme completed in 2021 at McCarthy Stone’s Hewson Court in Hexham, Northumbria.

McCarthy Stone and Sigmat have also this month been awarded an NHBC Accepts Accreditation for their unique apartment system using LGSF. This will enable fast-tracking of benefits for customers including improved environmental performance and reduced impact from construction work on communities.

The announcement will help McCarthy Stone fast-track the delivery of even more housing for older people. The business is one of the first retirement community developers to begin the delivery of housing built off-site, and the only one to be delivering it nationally at scale.

John Tonkiss, CEO of McCarthy Stone said: “MMC is game-changing. Sigmat’s unique solution will further increase our build quality, control our costs, and most importantly, build more energy-efficient and greener communities. This announcement paves the way to a more cost-efficient and sustainable future, and our long term aim is now to build 50% of all our new retirement communities in this way. The new NHBC accreditation also adds further assurance and certainty.”

McCarthy Stone’s MMC plan supports the Government’s Heat and Building Strategy to reduce carbon emissions, with each new retirement community built using MMC seeing an improvement in building performance, (fuel usage and thermal transmittance), in comparison to those built using traditional methods.

The announcement follows the successful opening of McCarthy Stone’s first MMC retirement community in Hexham, Northumberland which was opened by then Construction Minister, Ann-Marie Trevelyan MP last year. It reduced typical build times by 15%, and future schemes are expected to reduce by 25%.

Construction Minister Lee Rowley MP said: “I am pleased to see McCarthy Stone will be expanding their commitment to deliver more retirement housing using modern methods of construction. Their cleaner and cheaper construction method is helping the UK meet its net zero targets while also providing high-quality housing for our ageing population.”