This month insurance giant Legal & General (L&G) announced it was stopping production at its timber-frame modular housing factory in Sherburn-in-Elmet, West Yorkshire.

The company reported losses of at least £174m and its decision to cease production puts 475 L&G employees at risk of redundancy.

L&G had planned to build 3,500 homes a year from its plant, but had “not been able to secure the necessary scale of pipeline” to achieve this. 

The cessation of production at L&G follows a number of recent difficulties in the industry, including the collapse of Urban Splash Sekisui and Caledonian Modular, and problems at Countryside and Swan.

We asked industry experts to respond to the news and offer insights into the future of modular methods of construction (MMC) in view of the move by L&G.