Developers behind Britain’s first Ikea housebuilding project are having to put people up in AirBnBs over Christmas because the new homes they bought 18 months ago have still not been finished.
Almost 100 people who put down tens of thousands of pounds in deposits for homes on the flagship BoKlok on the Brook development in Bristol in the spring and summer of 2021 have just been told they won’t be moving in this year. There’s still no date confirmed when the houses and apartments in the first phase of the development will be finished.
The delays have left some buyers effectively homeless, and Ikea and the builders Skanska have said they ‘apologise wholeheartedly’ for a catalogue of delays that have hit the site on the Airport Road on the edge of Knowle West. The BoKlok on the Brook development has been one of the flagship innovations trumpeted by city leaders in Bristol because it is taking place on council-owned land that is being developed by Ikea with innovative building techniques, with the homes and apartments built from ‘flatpacks’.
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Work began back in 2020 after city councillors gave Ikea and Skanska planning permission in June 2020 for a total of 173 new homes on a linear site on the green open buffer space between the homes on the southern edge of Knowle West and the A4174 Airport Road.
The site takes its name from Brislington Brook, which flows east along the South Bristol ring road towards Brislington. The distinctive blue and yellow Ikea branded hoardings soon surrounded the site along the main road in 2020, and work progressed into 2021. Back in March 2021, BoKlok announced they would be selling the first homes in a ballot system, with the names of those who expressed an interest and wanted to put down a deposit on a home there being drawn out of a hat.
The first buyers began to exchange and pay their deposits in the summer of 2021, and were told by BoKlok they would be in their new homes by Christmas that year - a year ago now. But late last year, BoKlok told buyers there were problems and delays. It wasn't until May this year that the first 27 homes were completed and people moved into them.
But since then, none of the other 71 homes have been completed, and those buyers who put down their deposits as far back as spring and early summer 2021 are still waiting. Jack Saunders is one of them. He said that towards the end of 2021, BoKlok began to reveal that there were problems.
“We made the reservation and they said ‘you’ll be in by the end of 2021',” he told Bristol Live. “And since then, it’s just been a big list of issues, loads of problems, and excuse after excuse. From 2021 to today, it’s been promise after promise broken. There’s a huge number of people affected,” he added.
‘Sold out’ signs went up on the blue hoarding around the site as work continued into 2022, but work has slowed to a halt at times this year because of problems that have hit much of the building industry nationally. “They keep giving us dates to complete and move in, but it comes closer and they say there’s another problem,” said Jack, who saved up £20,000 for a deposit which he handed over 18 months ago.
Since then, he said he’s been expecting to move on an almost monthly basis, only to be let down. “I’m in a house share as a private renter at the moment. There’s only so many times you can hand your notice in to the landlord and then later ask if you can stay on after all. It’s very embarrassing, it’s such an embarrassing discussion to have, it just feels so unprofessional.
“I was really looking forward to having my own place, buying my own home, but any joy has been sucked out of it long ago. But I can’t do anything - they’ve got my money and I could have been earning interest on that, or putting it down as a deposit for somewhere else during all this time. It’s given me and everyone else in the same boat so many sleepless nights,” he added.
The buyers waiting for the BoKlok homes have come together in a Facebook group, sharing updates and supporting each other through the frustration, and Jack said there are almost 100 people in the group, still waiting.
“Most of us are first time buyers, who have really worked hard to get to the point where we can buy our own homes,” added Jack, who said that at least one of the buyers have been unable to find somewhere else to live after being told they would be in their new home by Christmas 2022, and so BoKlok are arranging to put them up in an AirBnB over Christmas.
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'Extremely sorry'
A spokesperson for BoKlok on the Brook said there had been a series of reasons for the delays, and that the issues on the site had been complicated. “We are extremely sorry for the delay in the completion of some of our homes at our BoKlok on the Brook development in Bristol. This has been frustrating for our customers, which we fully appreciate, and apologise wholeheartedly for the impact this has had, especially at this time of the year.
“Unfortunately, there have been a number of unforeseen issues on site as well as the ongoing challenges with regard to supply chain, materials and labour across the whole industry. Whilst we have tried to react as quickly as possible and we continue to do everything we can to put things right, these 71 homes are not ready to be handed over, as planned,” she added.
The Ikea/Skanska development has been heralded many times by the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees since the start of the project back in 2019, as part of Bristol’s reputation as a place which is backing innovative solutions to the housing crisis.
In March 2021, the Mayor spoke with BoKlok bosses when the ballot for the first buyers was unveiled. Back then, he said: “It’s a piece of innovation, not just in the way the homes are built, but in the way that people get access to them. It’s not who’s got the sharpest elbows, who can have the loudest voice or be quickest. You’re put into a pot of equals.
“I sincerely hope, and I believe that people all over the UK and around the world will be looking at what we’ve done together here.” he added. At the end of 2021, just as buyers were told for the first time they would not be in their new homes on the first scheduled date, the Mayor listed the Ikea homes development as one of the achievements of the year in his annual State of the City mayoral address. He commended the BoKlok development again in this year's mayoral address in October, saying: "We build relationships with developers to ensure they build well, build affordable, mix tenures and protect land for employment and nature.
"Some get built on council owned land, in partnership with developers like the 173 homes at Boklok’s Airport Road and 185 homes L&G’s Bonnington Walk. Both of those were slated for development for decades, but it took personal conversations at MIPIM and at City Hall to get them over the line," he added.
Of the 173 originally given planning permission two and a half years ago, work began on the first phase of 98, and 27 have been completed while 71 are yet to be finished. The second phase of 75 new homes are being built as affordable homes in partnership with Bristol City Council, but work is yet to begin on those.
Emma Plumridge, BoKlok sales and marketing director, said the reasons for the year-long delay were a ‘complex matter’. “We sincerely apologise to our customers for the delay in handing over their new homes", she said. “This is not a position we anticipated being in and it is extremely disappointing given this is our first site in the UK.
“We are working tirelessly and have put in place additional resource and extended working hours on site to resolve the outstanding issues as soon as possible. This is a complex matter. The circumstances are different for each household and the impact of these delays differ, dependent on where they are within the build phase.
“In recognition of the wider industry impacts caused by the pandemic, labour and materials supply issues, Homes England has extended the Help to Buy scheme so practical completion can extend to 31 January. This means that the Council of Mortgage Lenders certification deadline is extended from 31 December 2022 to 31 January 2023.
“We continually engage with our customers to provide updates on progress, site visits and updates to the Help to Buy scheme. All customers impacted by these challenges have been contacted personally and offered individual solutions to support them until their new homes are ready.
“In addition, we have regular communications with the local authority, Mayor’s Office and local Members of Parliament to ensure these important local stakeholders are informed of progress,” she added. “BoKlok will continue to work with all of our customers and our absolute priority is to deliver their homes as soon as possible.”
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