Developer rises to the challenge of floodplain homes

Agents may soon have a new type of house to sell with a very unusual set of particulars if plans by a Lincolnshire developers are realised.

Larkfleet Homes, which is based in Bourne, Lincolnshire and specialises in sustainable homes and green technology, is to build an experimental house that can rise above flood waters on jacks.

If tests are successful the house could provide a model that would enable housebuilding on thousands of sites across the UK which at present cannot be developed because of the risking of flooding, the company says.

It is now awaiting planning permission to build the house, which will be a three-bedroom detached property on a site near Spalding. All 65 tonnes of house will be raised off the ground using eight mechanical jacks to a height of 1.5 metres and sit on a steel ring beam in place of conventional foundations.

Larkfleet says that after the property is built the company is to spend five years testing the jacking system, which will be able to lift the property off the ground to its full height in five minutes.

The property would disconnect from mains electricity and other utility supplies but use solar panels to give it ongoing electrical power until waters recede, and Larkfleet says it would envisage residents remaining within the property during a flood.

Karl Hick, CEO of The Larkfleet Group of Companies (pictured), said: “The elevating house effectively eliminates the risk of flood damage to homes so that more land across the country can be approved for future home building. This will help to tackle the ‘housing crisis’ that is being caused by the demand for new housing far exceeding the supply.”