Additional reporting by Lily Franklin

New pictures show how a highly-anticipated block of “homeless pods” built to help tackle a town’s housing shortage is nearing completion.

With the first residents preparing to move in, KentOnline was yesterday given an exclusive tour around the 23 new homes which have been stacked into place on a frequently flood-hit former car park in Ashford.

Called Fortis House, the net-zero carbon properties - with 230 solar panels in total on the roof - will give people somewhere to live for up to three years while they seek permanent homes.

We previously reported how homeless people in the county are backing the scheme, saying it would be “better than living on the street”.

The leader of Ashford Borough Council has described the project as a “beacon of hope” as the authority looks to cut its temporary accommodation bill, which has more than doubled in recent years.

Construction of the homes on the Henwood Industrial Estate is now coming to an end. The new tenants set to move in have been selected and will get the keys before Christmas.

The self-contained units are a mix of homes - 13 one-bed, nine two-bed and one three-bed - to ensure a range of individuals and families can be accommodated.

Three of the homes are adapted for tenants with disabilities.

Each apartment will be occupied by a single household, with its own front door and private balcony.

A large, enclosed communal garden has been designed by a landscape architect to create a sociable and high-quality outdoor green space.

There are 19 parking spaces, including two disabled bays and three electric-vehicle charging points.

The council worked with ZED PODS Ltd, to design and build the modular homes.

The homes have been built on stilts raising them 2.4 metres from the ground so they will withstand even the most extreme 100-year climate change flooding events, say bosses.

While the nature of the site brought challenges, Dr Rehan Khodabuccus, operations and technical director at ZED PODS, says teams have used their expertise to design around it.

He added: “This is one of the largest schemes we've done in such a tight site on a flood zone.

“It means that we're reusing sites that are underutilised so we're not having to touch greenfield sites, and that brings that environmentally ethical ethos right into the level of what we do.

“Because the people living here will be social tenants, their disposable income will be a lot lower.

“We have put in solar panels, battery storage, and we use a heat pump system that provides hot water, space heating, and ventilation requirements to make healthy internal environments.

“We also used things like triple glazing to reduce the energy losses, but also prevent any draughts, and that means it's a really nice place to live and the homes are cheap to run and operate.”

While they have been designed to last 60 years, Dr Khodabuccus says the apartments are likely to have a longer life span.

The homes will be known as ‘move-on accommodation’ which means they will be used to house people who are either currently homeless or in temporary accommodation.

Tenants will be able to live in the pods for up to three years to give them time to transition into a more permanent home, whether that be with the council or privately.

ZED PODS built the modules at its Peterborough factory before delivering them by road to Kent, where a giant crane lifted each of the 12-tonne units into position on top of a steel framework in March.

The fabric of the building is designed to create a zero-carbon home with ultra-low energy consumption and running costs.

With the council facing an annual bill of more than £1 million for placing homeless people in expensive B&Bs, Fortis House takes the authority’s stock of temporary accommodation to about 80 homes.

Originally it was planned to use converted shipping containers for the homes, but the ZED PODS scheme was instead chosen because of its ‘green’ credentials.

Cllr Noel Ovenden, leader of ABC and cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said: “As a council, we’re committed to innovative solutions that address homelessness and align with our sustainability goals.

“Fortis House represents a milestone – providing not just temporary accommodation, but high-quality, energy-efficient homes where people can find stability.

“Working with ZED PODS, we’ve transformed an under-used space into a sustainable asset for our community, demonstrating our dedication to being a Green Pioneer.

“This project not only offers secure housing but also contributes to our vision of a more resilient Ashford, where everyone has the chance to rebuild and thrive.

“Fortis House is a beacon of hope and progress for our borough.”

Thomas Northway, chairman of ZED PODS, said: “This handover marks a major step in addressing ABC’s and the government's social housing targets.”

ABC applied for financial support from Homes England and the government has contributed £80,000 per unit - a total of £1,840,000 towards the scheme costs of £7.4 million.

Not only will the scheme make savings for the council’s General Fund over the life of the project, homeless people staying there will receive much better living conditions.

Fortis House is derived from the close proximity to Martyrs’ Field.

The project has been shortlisted as a finalist in eight categories across five different award organisers, including the Constructing Excellence (London & South East region) 2024 Awards, where the project won the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) award in 2024.