Member Article

Hampshire housebuilder brings £40 million investment to local communities in 2023

As well as building 526 new homes in the region in the last 12 months, Barratt Developments’ Southampton Division has brought more than £40 million to local communities. 

The leading developer, which is bringing homes to Hampshire, Dorset, West Sussex, and the Isle of Wight, through its Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes developments, also provided 140 affordable new homes, sold at 50% below the average price of a private new house. 

The figures are obtained from the company’s annual socio-economic footprint and highlight how much local economy benefits from the building of new homes thanks to a combination of programmes that form part of each new housing development. 

With investment into the local community a top priority, Barratt spent £26.6 million on physical works to improve highways, local outdoor spaces, and community facilities. A further £9.3 million came from a boost to local spending, supporting trade through spending in shops and services, which has in turn supported 91 retail and service-related jobs. 

In addition, almost £4.2 million has been contributed to organisations local to each of the housebuilder’s developments in the region. These include supporting local authorities, schools, community groups and charities. 

A well as financial investment, the housebuilding supply chain has supported 596 supplier and sub-contractor companies, 1,322 jobs, and 17 places for graduates, apprentices, and trainees. 

Barratt holds sustainability high on its priority list too. An impressive 3.97 tonnes of construction waste has been diverted from landfill thanks to responsible management – a 44% reduction against the company’s 2015 benchmark of 7.09 tonnes. 

The equivalent of 16 football pitches worth of public and private green space has been created (11.4ha), with 44% of developments designed with landscape-led, above ground, sustainable urban drainage systems. 

James Dunne, Barratt Developments Managing Director, Southampton Division, said: “Despite ongoing uncertainties in the housing market, we pride ourselves on continuing our commitment to building strong, sustainable communities. 

“The local areas we work in benefit from jobs, community development and support for local business as well as a collection of brand-new homes. It’s so important for us to leave a lasting legacy in and around these new neighbourhoods, and I’m very proud of the positive impact we have, both at the time of construction, as well as in the years after.” 

The socio-economic footprint report highlights several other key figures and benefits generated through the building of Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes in 2023: 

£100.6 million total value of spend with suppliers and contractors, contributing £120.6 million to the national economy
£95.7 million of Gross Value Added to the Group’s contribution to UK economic output
£15.1 million worth of tax generated by Barratt’s activities through Corporation Tax, NI, PAYE, SDLT and local council tax
£1 million New Homes Bonus paid by Government to Local Authorities as a result of homes built by the Group
99% of homes built to EPC* A and B
8% sustainability certified timber used
89 school places provided
651 hours of employee volunteering 

The report on Barratt’s socio-economic footprint in 2023 was carried out by independent experts who analysed socio-economic impacts through the delivery chain for new housing based upon Barratt Developments datasets, published research and national statistics. 

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Barratt Homes .