And the sofa came too

BRITAIN'S first factory-made home, ready to live in and including furniture, has been unveiled in a scheme hailed as marking the beginning of a revolution in the way we live.

A one-bedroom luxury flat built in a York factory was driven to a building site in Hackney, east London, and bolted into place.

Inside, the living room is fitted with a sofa, bookcases, tables, carpets and even lamps. The bedroom has a double bed, complete with duvet, while a fully tiled bathroom comes complete with heated towel rail. Even the maple-finished fitted kitchen has a cooker, fridge- freezer, dining table and the kitchen sink. The flat was part of a GBP 2.2 million development by the Peabody Trust, which provides affordable housing for low-income Londoners. Eventually, it will form part of a five-storey complex comprising 30 one- and two-bedroom apartments, all transported to London readymade. Dickon Robinson, Peabody's director of development and technical services, said: "Theoretically, people could move in, but in reality they have to wait for the site to be finished off with water and electricity added." The technology has already been used in the UK for office complexes and hotels, but this is the first residential site. Mr Robinson said it would take 12 months for the complex to be built using traditional methods. The new technique slashes the time it takes to build houses by half. He said the project was costing more than traditional methods but that factory-built flats could eventually be produced at a cheaper price. The flats, which will have balconies and overlook a landscaped garden, are aimed at people earning less than GBP 22,000 a year. Their rent is expected to be between GBP 110 and GBP 135 a week. The flats are expected to be ready in July after the finishing touches - including terracotta cladding have been added.

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