Much-needed affordable council homes are ready for local people in Devon to move into after being partly built by prisoners in a factory hundreds of miles away as part of an award-winning national initiative, initially led and piloted by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
A development of five two and three bed council modular homes was manufactured in Peterborough as part of the Prisoners Building Homes (PBH) scheme and craned into position at a vacant site in Hemyock, near Cullompton, in mid-September 2025.
They have been designed multi-award-winning Zed Pods Limited to be long lasting and spacious with very low running costs due to being ultra-high energy efficient and generating more energy than it is expected to consume. Other features include environmental sensors such as humidity levels to prevent damp and mould.
The first tenants are due to move in next month. The Eastlands scheme forms part of an ambition to further expand PBH to deliver 10,000 homes by the end of 2030 and employ 3,000 people in prison to cut reoffending rates. The cross-government programme has won numerous awards including Programme of the Year at the UK Civil Service Awards in 2025 and Excellence in Delivery Award at the recent Cabinet Office awards.
Sophie Baker, programme manager for PBH, said: “PBH supports local authorities to unlock small sites for affordable homes so that’s those in greatest need on the council waiting list are homed. At the same time, it reduces reoffending by supporting people in prison and on probation with employment and skills opportunities so that when they’re released from prison they can secure a job.”
Currently, around 10 housebuilders are accredited to Prisoners Building Homes across 136 sites. The Hemyock project forms part of Mid Devon District Council’s mission to deliver high-quality council homes at genuinely affordable social rents where need is greatest.
Simon Newcombe, Head of Housing and Health at Mid Devon District Council, said: “Mid Devon is leading on sustainable modular homes as they provide tenants will very low bills, therefore creating very affordable living. The tenants living in them are on social rent – the lowest rent – which is around half the price of private rent.
“These homes are for people on the housing list with a local connection. We built them in Hemyock based on demand on that list locally, particularly for two to three-bed family homes.
“All being well, all tenants will be moved into the homes by April. They look like normal homes because they are homes. They just happen to be partly built in a factory, they come here on a back of a lorry and are bolted together. They are built to an exceptional standard as good, if not better, than a traditional build property, so these will still be here in a hundred years’ time.
“We have another four of these projects which will give us nearly another 50 homes in the next few months. Our aim is to build around 100 a year for the next five years.”
The PBH project has been designed and delivered by Zed Pods Limited in close partnership with Mid Devon District Council with funding support from Homes England and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
PBH was launched in 2021 with the first home was built on a Torbay Council owned site, funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. All five PCCs across the South West are now part of the scheme which expanded nationally in 2024.
Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez, also APCC national lead for criminal justice, said: “I see first-hand how important it is to join up policing, prisons, probation, housing and employment. My national role allows me to champion approaches like PBH across England and Wales, sharing best practice and pushing for solutions that reduce reoffending, cut crime and ultimately protect the public.
“Around 89 per cent of those completing the programme move straight into employment on release, compared with a national average of around 19 per cent. Reoffending rates among PBH participants are below five per cent, far lower than the national picture. Those numbers aren’t just statistics; they represent fewer victims, safer communities and better outcomes for everyone. “
For more details about PBH, please visit PBH – Prisoners Building Homes