Gloucestershire housebuilders plough £17m into community

By Nicky Godding

10 January 2024

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Barratt Developments, which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes with sites across the region, ploughed £17.1 million into community contributions and built more than 2,000 properties in its West region during the last financial year which it says contributed more than £401 million to the UK’s economic output.

The achievements are highlighted in a new report which measures the housebuilders’ social and economic footprint during 2023, and includes the creation of more than 110 hectares of green space - the equivalent of 158 football pitches, 636 new school places, 620 affordable homes, £325,000 to charity and 1,113 employee volunteering hours.

It also enabled more than £17.1 million worth of local contributions including section 106 and equivalent contributions such as the Community Infrastructure Levy, 68 new graduates, apprentices and trainees, contributing an estimated £700,000 to the wider economy and £92 million on physical works such as highway and environmental improvements.

Its work also supported 818 sub-contractor or supplier companies to create local employment opportunities and resulting in a total spend of £405 million.

Louise Ware, Sales Director for Barratt David Wilson Homes South West, said: “In 2013, Barratt Developments pioneered the first economic footprint report among housebuilders. A decade later, our commitment remains unwavering as we continue to make significant contributions to society, the UK economy and the local communities where our developments thrive.'"

Sales Director for Barratt Homes Bristol, Andrea Pilgrim, added: “Ensuring transparency regarding our social and economic impact is one of our top priorities. We’ve consistently viewed ourselves as more than just a housebuilder and we hope that these statistics underscore our broader contributions."

Nicki Reid, Sales Director at Barratt David Wilson Homes Exeter, said: “These results speak volumes and evidence that we’re creating lasting legacies and our tangible benefits resonate far beyond bricks and mortar.”

Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes are currently building at Winnycroft, Gloucester, Whittle Gardens , Innsworth and Merlin Gate , Newent.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.