Notts serial entrepreneur says 'tiny homes' answer to housing and homeless crisis
Added by Love Business East Midlands | 22 May 2025
East Midlands sustainability entrepreneur believes that the tiny-house movement is both a simplistic and highly cost-effective way to address some of the country’s most pressing housing and climate challenges.
B-Corp construction company, Gusto Construction, is calling on the UK Government to embrace Tiny Homes as a sustainable and scalable solution to the country’s chronic housing shortage, growing homelessness, and climate crisis.
The company is actively seeking a site to develop its first Tiny Homes community and is committed to making compact, eco-friendly housing accessible to all.
According to Gusto Construction chairman, Steff Wright, Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029 is ambitious - if not impossible - to achieve under the current model. But scaling up alternative solutions like Tiny Homes could make this goal more realistic.
“Britain’s housing crisis requires urgent action,” Wright explains. “The planning system does need reform, yet there is no suggestion of this happening anytime soon.
“We simply cannot afford to wait any longer for things to change when there is a need to build 300,000 new homes by the end of this year alone.
“This is where Tiny Homes could be part of the solution. They are quick to manufacture and construct and can be done in ways that are affordable, scalable at pace and sustainable.”
A new model for an ageing housing problem?
Rather than persisting with outdated housing strategies, Wright argues that policymakers and developers must embrace alternative housing models, including eco-villages built around affordable Tiny Homes.
These developments, he believes, would allow young people and families to own their first home at an accessible price point. Which is crucial, particularly considering the fact that:
- 57% of single earners currently can’t afford a lower-priced home, and four in ten full-time workers are priced out of homeownership.
It will also provide local authorities and charities with a truly affordable, sustainable, and equally practical answer to the chronic shortage of suitable and dignified accommodation for those experiencing homelessness, the number of which appears to be on the rise.
Research by Shelter England found that there has been a:
- 14% rise in homelessness between 2023-24 with at least 354,000 people homeless as of December 2024.
“Tiny Homes, typically modular and designed with sustainability in mind, offer a practical alternative to conventional housing,” Wright said.
“These compact homes provide all the comforts of a full-sized house but with significantly lower costs and a radically reduced carbon footprint that is just 10% of a traditional brick-built home.
“As a country, we need to think differently about housing. Even if we meet Labour’s target of 1.5 million homes, the embodied carbon of those homes would exceed our carbon budget and put immense pressure on utilities.
“Instead, we should be investing in compact, energy-efficient communities that lower living costs and support the transition to a greener economy.”
- Research shows that tiny homes reduce water consumption by 40% and lower consumer bills by up to 80% compared to traditional housing.
Scaling-up Tiny Home communities
For Wright, the path forward is clear: the UK must scale up eco-village developments centered around Tiny Homes. By modernising planning policies and investing in sustainable housing solutions, the government can stimulate economic growth, drive innovation, and give young people a realistic path onto the property ladder.
“We need to redefine what ‘value’ means in housing,” Wright concludes.
"Britain's housing future can’t rely on outdated models. Tiny Homes offer a path to affordability, sustainability, and vibrant communities - we just need the vision to embrace them."
