A North East construction company has introduced robots to help build homes due to a 'severe shortage of bricklayers'.
JT Lifestyle Homes (JTLH) has unveiled the first phase of its robot-built housing development at Maple Close in Thornley, County Durham, using a wall-laying robot known as WLTR, or 'Walter.'
Dr Jan Telensky, founder of JTHL, said: "There is a severe shortage of bricklayers at a time when the country needs 1.5 million more homes.
WLTR at work.
(Image: JTLH)
"ONS figures show more than 35,000 construction vacancies and a workforce with an average age of 46."
He believes robotics can help address the shortfall while creating skilled employment.
He said: "Walter is not about replacing people, it creates skilled jobs for the operators who oversee it and it lets us build quality homes at a price ordinary families can afford."
(Image: JTLH)
Maple Close is the first UK development to use the WLTR robot, which can lay up to 200 square metres of masonry per day with millimetre accuracy.
The robot operates at heights of up to 3.5 metres without scaffolding and can function in all weather conditions.
Seven four-bedroom detached homes were completed this summer.
JTLH is also behind Parsons House, a 40-apartment luxury development in Sunderland city centre.
Dr Telensky described the wider potential for the region.
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He said: "The North East is going through a very exciting period of growth and regeneration in Sunderland is an important part of that.
"There’s no doubt about it – the North East is a great region to both live and invest in."
The North East currently leads the UK in house price growth, with annual increases of 5.9 per cent compared to a UK average of 2.7 per cent, according to Land Registry data for May 2026.