Corby modular housing factory TopHat secures £50m order - before it's even open

A firm set to open a huge modular housing factory on a Corby site the size of eleven football pitches has secured an order for 226 ultra-low carbon houses.

TopHat is building its factory at the new Magna Park development on the former Cowthick Plantation and hopes to get production under way at the end of 2023.

And it was announced this week that the company, which already has one factory in Derby, has won the contract to build 226 new homes at the 650,000 square foot factory in Corby. Components for the modular homes will be trucked to Lewes for a large housing development there.

The deal is worth £50m and will help TopHat create up to 1,000 skilled jobs in Corby – which could make it the town’s second largest employer behind RS Components.

The factory is set up to make a house every hour and is the largest in Europe.

Investment firm Man Group is behind the scheme to build the 226 new homes at Old Malling Farm in the East Sussex town. The homes will be targeted at key workers and, subject to planning permission, work will begin next year.

Man Group managing director and head of community housing Sahmez Alibhai said: “We’re delighted to announce our investment in a new affordable an zero-carbon housing community at Old Malling Farm in Lewes.

"We’ll partner with modular housing firm TopHat to deliver up to 226 new, sustainable and accessible homes for the local community.”