Barratt building for the future

Housebuilder Barratt Developments is set for further growth north of the Border following the recent acquisition of ten new sites for development, with 11 more in the pipeline.

The business, which encompasses both the Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes brands, said that between April and September it had acquired sites from Inverness down to the Central Belt, focusing on areas around Edinburgh and Glasgow. The ten sites provide space for some 1,400 homes.

Looking ahead to the remainder of the year, the group is planning to acquire a further 11 sites in Scotland, with the capacity for about 1,830 properties, it said.

On the recruitment front, the company has taken on more than 20 graduates and apprentices and 45 additional tradesmen. Indirectly, Barratt’s homebuilding activity has also supported an increase of subcontractor workforces on new sites.

The news comes on the back of Barratt Scotland celebrating a record year of output, having completed 1,700 homes across the country over the last financial year.

The Scottish Government has estimated that 465,000 additional homes are needed by 2035 to cope with expected housing demand.

Douglas Mcleod, regional managing director for Scotland, said: “Demand for new homes is still strong among all types of buyers, from firsttime buyers through to downsizers, and we’re receiving a consistently high level of enquiries and reservations across our divisions. That demand is unlikely to let up, given Scotland’s requirement for new homes to meet population growth.”

Barratt is the biggest housebuilder by volume in Britain.