– Housebuilder supports 1,652 jobs, completes 732 new homes and 13.1ha of green space –
Barratt Developments Scotland, which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, has made a substantial contribution of £256.3m to the Scottish economy, with the housebuilder’s East Scotland division supplying £106.9m in GVA itself.
In the year ending 30 June 2021, Barratt East Scotland has also completed 732 new homes of which 144 were affordable and supported 1,652 direct, indirect and induced jobs across the region.
2021 also saw the largest UK housebuilder reinforce its commitment to creating homes for nature as well as people. The business created 13.1ha of public green spaces and private gardens around the region, the equivalent of 19 football pitches, to help support wildlife on and around its sites.
Barratt is working towards reducing its direct carbon emissions by 29% by 2025 and indirect emissions by 24% per square metre by 2030. In the past year, CO2e emissions per 100m.sq. of completed build area fell to 2.25t. across the East Scotland business.
98% of construction waste was also saved from landfill and 26% of new homes were built on previously developed land, up 54% on the previous year.
Alison Condie, managing director for Barratt East Scotland, said:“As the UK’s largest housebuilder, and one of the most sustainable, we place considerable emphasis on supporting people, the environment and generating strong economic growth for the region.
“To have contributed over £106m to the economy and supported over 1,652 jobs is a fantastic achievement and we’re determined to do even better this year.”
As part of its housebuilding activity, Barratt East Scotland has made £5.4m in local contributions to help build new facilities and community infrastructure. This contribution includes the provision of 320 new school places.
More than £19.3m has also been spent on physical works within communities, such as highways, environmental improvements and community facilities.
Other key findings from the Barratt East Scotland 2021 socio-economic report include:
· Increased support for public services with £23.9m in generated tax revenues
· Over £36,400 donated to local charitable and community causes
· 284 supplier and 335 sub-contractor companies supported
· Increased support for the UK supply chain with 90% of all components centrally procured, assembled or manufactured in-country
· More than £10.7m in retail spending by new residents, helping support 114 retail and service-related jobs
The development of new and future talent remains a key priority for Barratt Developments Scotland and 53 graduates, apprentices and trainees launched their careers with the company in 2021, 15 from the East Scotland Division.
The assessment of Barratt Developments’ performance was carried out by independent consultants Lichfields, who analysed socio-economic impacts through the delivery chain for new housing based on Barratt datasets, published research and national statistics.
Barratt East Scotland, which includes both Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, has fundraised £16,000 for their new charity partner, St Columba’s Hospice Care.
Taking on the seven hills challenge to reach the top of Calton Hill, Castle Rock, Corstorphine Hill, Craiglockhart Hill, Braid Hill, Blackford Hill, and Arthur’s Seat, 19 Barratt East employees completed the capital city hike in under seven hours as part of their fundraising efforts.
St Columba’s Hospice Care is an independent charity that has been providing vital hospice and end of life care to people with incurable illness and their families for over 40 years. Throughout the pandemic, the Hospice Team has continued to offer their services to those who need it most across Edinburgh and the Lothians – be that at home, in care settings or at the Hospice itself.
The donation from the Barratt East Scotland team will help to ensure the hospice can continue to offer its support to people in local communities across the capital. As well as nursing and medical care, the Hospice offers patients and their families whatever social, practical, emotional and spiritual support they may need, from physiotherapy and counselling, to immersive art and music therapy.
Alison Condie, Managing Director at Barratt East Scotland, said: “St Columba’s Hospice Care carries out incredible work supporting patients and their families. We’re pleased to be able to help with our donation and hope it allows them to continue to provide these crucial and important services.”
Speaking of the donation Amanda Southey, Corporate Development Manager for St Columba’s Hospice Care added:“We’d like to say a huge thank you to the employees of Barratt East Scotland for their incredible efforts.
“Challenges like ‘7 Hills’ raise vital funds for the Hospice and help us to deliver high-quality, specialist care and support to those that need it most across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“After what has been a very challenging year for us, we’re delighted to have the support of such an enthusiastic team and can’t wait to see how our new partnership develops over the coming year!”
As part of its community benefits programme, the five-star housebuilder works with a wide range of local causes, and has continued to step up its efforts through the Barratt and David Wilson Community Fund.
Now in its third year, the Community Fund pledges to donate £1,000 each month to a charity or organisation in the east of Scotland. Charities are nominated by and voted for by employees of Barratt Homes and the focus for the fund continues to be on organisations that improve the quality of life for those living in the area.
Barratt Developments East Scotland, which includes both Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, has donated £5,000 to local elderly care charity, LifeCare.
Following its success in Barratt Developments’ company-wide virtual 500k challenge for the Prince’s Trust, the Barratt East Scotland team, which walked a combined total of 1,721km, was awarded £5,000 to donate to a charity of its choice.
It selected LifeCare, a renowned local charity which offers registered care, outreach activities and help at home services for older people living across the North of the city.
Established in 1941, the organisation supports hundreds of elderly clients a year, including those suffering with dementia, mobility issues, those experiencing isolation and loneliness, food poverty and mental health problems, and offers dedicated support for carers.
The charity also runs the successful community café, CafeLife on Cheyne Street.
The donation from Barratt East Scotland will help LifeCare’s ongoing efforts to support those who have shielded during the duration of the pandemic to return to life beyond their own four walls and back to the communities they hold dear.
Alison Condie, managing director at Barratt East Scotland, said: “LifeCare carry out incredible work supporting those vulnerable and in need of care.
“We’re pleased that our employees nominated the charity and we hope that our donation will help them to continue to provide these crucial and important services.”
Claire Montgomery, LifeCare’s Trusts Fundraising and Communications Manager added:“A huge thanks to everyone at Barratt East Scotland for this terrific award – it’s truly appreciated. As a registered charity, LifeCare is reliant on the generosity of our funders to enable us to deliver quality care that our older population deserve.
“We have supported over 770 local older people through the pandemic, many of whom had no other available support. We have offered safely delivered care in the home, remote support by phone and doorstep visit, shopping and prescription deliveries, and we have set up our brand new meals on wheels service which has already served up over 9,000 hot meals to doorsteps.
“Our continued care has supported isolation issues and enabled people to remain living independently in their own homes. We look forward to fully opening all services again as soon as we are safely able.”
As part of its community benefits programme, the five-star housebuilder works with a wide range of local causes, and has continued to step up its efforts through the Barratt and David Wilson Community Fund.
Now in its third year, the Community Fund pledges to donate £1,000 each month to a charity or organisation in the east of Scotland. Charities are nominated by and voted for by employees of Barratt Homes and the focus for the fund continues to be on organisations that improve the quality of life for those living in the area.
The team is also committed to providing assistance to groups that contribute to the communities it serves in many other ways. A recent benefactor was Rosslyn Bowling Club, which Barratt East Scotland supported with the donation of a new notice board.
Jim Hiddleston, Club President of Rosslyn Bowling Club said:“We’ve been working towards a new noticeboard for quite some time as our location is quite hidden, so we are delighted with our new signage kindly donated by our new neighbours, David Wilson Homes.”
NHBC, the UK’s leading new homes warranty and insurance provider, has announced a number of site managers from Edinburgh as winners in the first round of its flagship competition to determine the very best site managers in the UK.
The competition recognises site managers who have achieved the very highest standards in house building with the awards being the most prestigious of their kind in the sector.
The winners in Edinburgh are:
Ewan MacLean of Barratt and David Wilson Homes East Scotland for Cammo Meadows in Edinburgh (above)
Barrie Mitchell of Barratt and David Wilson Homes East Scotland for Heritage Grange in Edinburgh.
Colin Scott of Barratt and David Wilson Homes East Scotland for The Strand @ Portobello in Edinburgh.
Mark Foley of CALA Evans Restoration Limited for The Crescent in Edinburgh.
Ian Welsh of CALA Homes East Ltd for Waterfront Plaza in Edinburgh.
Jim Martin of Miller Homes Scotland East for Edgelaw in Edinburgh.
From a field of more than 10,000, 450 site managers have won a Quality Award in the first round of NHBC’s Pride in the Job Awards 2021. This represents the top 5% of those who entered and is testament to their commitment to deliver quality homes for their customers.
Pride in the Job, first launched over forty years ago, is the most highly regarded competition in the house-building industry. Judging for the Awards is rigorous, with the current competition beginning in July 2020 and each site manager assessed across six key areas: consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise, and health and safety.
Pride in the Job is at the heart of NHBC’s core purpose to support the delivery of high-quality new homes. By recognising the very best site managers across the UK, the competition celebrates the vital role that site managers play in ensuring new homes are delivered on time, on safe sites and to exacting construction quality standards.
The competition is fully inclusive and representative of the UK house-building industry with three categories for different sized businesses: small, medium and large, with a separate multi-storey category.
The Quality Award winners will go on to compete for Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards in the autumn, with the national, Supreme Award winners unveiled in January 2022.
Commenting on the Awards, NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said:“Pride in the Job has been pivotal in improving the quality of new homes for more than 40 years. Despite the numerous challenges the industry has faced, the very best site managers of 2021 have remained focused on delivering high quality new homes for their customers.
“At NHBC we are very proud of Pride in the Job, what it stands for and the impact it has across the sector. Pride in the Job winning sites have higher levels of homeowner satisfaction as these homes are among the very best in the country.
“Congratulations to all our 2021 Pride in the Job Quality Award winners in Edinburgh – be proud of what you are building and the standards you are setting.”
Barratt East Scotland site managers named as best in the country for quality
– Five David Wilson Homes and Barratt Homes site managers in the region win awards
– Barratt Developments wins more ‘Pride in the Job’ Quality awards than any other housebuilder, with 14 awards in Scotland alone
Five site managers from Barratt East Scotland have won a top national award for the quality of the homes they are building.
Known as the “Oscars of the housebuilding industry”, the National House Building Council (NHBC) Pride in The Job Quality awards recognise the finest site managers from around the country.
In total, site managers from Barratt Developments won 93 ‘Pride in the Job’ Quality awards this year. In Scotland, the housebuilder scooped 14 awards. This is the 17th year in a row that Barratt has won more Pride in the Job Quality awards than any other housebuilder, showing its long-term commitment to building high quality homes.
These awards, now in their 41st year, rate site managers against key criteria such as technical expertise, health and safety, consistency, leadership and attention to detail. The awards celebrate the vital role site managers play in ensuring new homes are delivered on-time, on safe sites, and to the highest quality standards.
Every site manager that is registered with the NHBC is automatically entered into the awards, with just 450 winners being selected from 11,000 entrants, showing how difficult they are to win.
These awards come off the back of a Barratt site manager being crowned the overall winner in last year’s awards. Kirk Raine, senior site manager, won the supreme award, the fifth time in the last six years that a Barratt site manager has won the top prize.
Alison Condie, managing director for Barratt East Scotland, said:“These awards showcase only the best new homes and well-run sites.
“By winning so many awards, it demonstrates that we are building some of the highest quality homes in the country. It also shows the long-term commitment we have to looking after our customers and making them happy. No other housebuilder can match our record at the NHBC Pride in the Job Quality awards.”
These awards closely follow Barratt Developments being awarded 5 stars by its customers for satisfaction in the annual Home Builders Federation (HBF) new homes survey.
To be rated five star means that more than 90% of its customers would recommend one of its homes to a friend, with Barratt being the only major national housebuilder to be rated five star for 12 years in a row.
CALA HOMES: BUILDING WITH PRIDE
SITE MANAGERS RECOGNISED AS TWO OF THE COUNTRY’S BEST FOR 2021
TWO CALA Edinburgh site managers have received UK-wide recognition for their excellent professional standards and positive contributions to the construction industry.
Mark Foley, site manager for CALA Homes at The Crescent at Donaldson’s and Ian Welsh, site manager for CALA Homes Waterfront Plaza, are celebrating after receiving a prestigious industry award from the National Home Building Council (NHBC).
Mark and Ian have been recognised in the 2021 Pride in the Job Quality Awards for their contribution to creating homes of the highest quality and showcasing best practice, joining an impressive 16 site managers from across the CALA Group to receive the coveted accolade.
The Pride in the Job Awards has been running for more than four decades and is one of the highest industry accolades a site manager can receive.
More than 11,000 site managers across the UK were assessed this year, with only 450 winners selected, putting those awarded in the industry’s top four per cent who demonstrate the passion, commitment and leadership to deliver new homes to the highest possible standards.
Mark and Ian will now go through to the next stage of the competition, the Seal of Excellence, which will be announced later this year.
Craig Lynes, Managing Director with CALA Homes (East) comments: “The Pride in the Job Awards recognise site managers who, along with their teams and sub-contractors deliver excellence for our customers every day.
“It is our teams on the ground who bring our homes to life, ensuring the vision for each development is delivered on time, safely and to the highest quality standards.
“Over the past year, more than any other, site managers have had to overcome unprecedented challenges, but the commitment from Mark, Ian and their teams to deliver the highest quality standards have been unwavering. We wish teams at The Crescent and Waterfront Plaza all the best of luck as the awards progress on to the next stage.”
As well as undergoing spot checks of the day-to-day running of their site, each site manager is assessed across 37 different areas of site management, including technical knowledge, quality and consistency.
Mark, who is CALA’s most decorated project manager with 15 Pride in the Job awards, alongside 10 Seal of Excellences, three regional awards and one supreme award, said: “To secure the Pride in the Job accolade is a real honour.
“Knowing that our team at The Crescent has achieved this following stringent site inspections is testament to their hard work and professionalism.”
Ian added: “Knowing how diligently the team at Waterfront Plaza have worked from the outset of the project, it’s great to see our efforts rewarded in such a fitting way. We are all very proud.”
A cutting-edge interpretation of Georgian architecture, with 18 acres of landscaped gardens and grounds, prices at The Crescent range from £595,000 to £1,750,000, with a range of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, duplexes and penthouses available.
Launched in summer 2019, Waterfront Plaza is CALA’s latest brownfield regeneration project.
After the sell-out success of the first release colony apartments, Waterfront Plaza currently features 2 & 3 bedroom apartments & 4 bedroom townhouses ranging from £295,000 to £520,000.
Chris Preston and Fiona Ingleby had been living in London, working in the City while enjoying their weekends being active outdoors.
The frustrations of an older property and staying in a busy area eventually got to them, so to be closer to nature, the couple decided to move to Fiona’s home country, Scotland, choosing Barratt’s Preston Square development near Edinburgh.
Fiona said: “Our first house in London wasn’t right for us. It was quite old, so there always seemed to be something that needed to be fixed and the area surrounding it became very built up and busy.
“We soon decided we wanted to live somewhere nearer to open space that we could enjoy. We did quite a lot of research online and chose Edinburgh, as it ticked those boxes, allowing us to continue our careers and be closer to family.”
“Preston Square was in the ideal location and perfectly positioned, with green space on one side of it, and commuter, bus and train links to Edinburgh on the other. We also liked that it was quite small, but with considered green spaces and well-sized gardens,” said Chris.
However, with Covid-19 travel restrictions in place, there was little chance for Chris and Fiona to view the property in person.
“Our buying process was a bit unusual. Due to travel restrictions, as well as living in London and buying in Scotland, it meant we couldn’t view the development in person.”
“Despite this, Zoe, the sales advisor met with us on a video call, and walked us through the development, showing us the estate and the plot we were interested in. She also sent through extra plans and photos, as well as arranging for physical samples of carpet to reach us.
“The sales and marketing team really made everything possible – Zoe was so helpful and gave us the confidence to go through with the purchase in the middle of the pandemic,” added Fiona.
Chris and Fiona chose a ‘Fenton’ house-type at Preston Square, a four-bedroom detached home, first visiting it on completion day. The home’s open-plan fitted kitchen and dining area provide access to the rear garden, benefitting from a separate utility room and downstairs WC. The Fenton also comes with an integral garage providing added convenience and security.
Fiona said: “Despite the unusual viewing and purchasing process, our experience of buying with Barratt was very different to the stress of when we bought our first house, which involved a lot of uncertainty of bidding through an estate agent.
“We’d recommend buying with Barratt to anyone. The house is a perfect blank canvas – everything is neatly but neutrally finished, easy enough to personalise it and make it feel like home very quickly. It’s also great to have solar panels allowing us to be more environmentally friendly.”
When asked if they had any plans now they had more room, the couple said: “We’re in the process of setting up one of the bedrooms as an office. It’s lovely to have the space to be able to do this properly now as it used to be very difficult not to be able to keep home working separate from everything else.
“We’re also thinking about getting a dog but not quite there yet. We’ve always wanted one, but before we felt like we didn’t have enough space or good enough walks nearby to be able to care for one properly – we’re in a much better position now.”
Preston Square is now sold out but Barratt East Scotland continues to offer several developments close to Edinburgh including, Barratt @ St Clements Wells, St Clements View, Yew Gardens and The Strand @ Portobello.
All feature easy commuting links to Edinburgh city centre and a range of local amenities, with sales centres and show homes open by appointment.
Starting a new working life and career during a global pandemic has been a huge challenge for thousands of young people across Scotland. Last August at Barratt East Scotland, four new apprentices started as part of the housebuilder’s regional 11-person brickwork team.
Alan Turnbull, 24 from Edinburgh, had previously been working as a labourer with a local contractor. After the promise of an apprenticeship fell through, Alan decided to take the leap and apply for one with Barratt. “I’m someone who wants to be proud of the work they do and be able to show something for it, so the opportunity of working for a big company like Barratt really tempted me.”
Ciaran Grieg, 17, did a multi-skills course at college and enjoyed the bricklaying aspect, so decided to look for opportunities in the construction industry. “It just happened that Barratt was building a new site across from where I stayed and were looking for bricklayers, I really lucked out. I’d also heard lots about their apprenticeship programme so decided to go for it.”
Seven months in, they’re now working at a number of Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes developments across the east of Scotland helping build a range of two, three and four-bedroom homes.
Both Alan and Ciaran were surprised about how hands-on their experience has been so far and can already see the positive impact their role has around the wider teams. Alan said: “Because I’ve done well, I’ve been able to be a lot more involved than I would have usually, that’s meant building a lot more and allowing the other tradesmen to do their tasks easier and quicker.”
Although construction has been able to continue with enhanced safety measures under government restrictions, Barratt has adapted its apprenticeship programme using tools that haven’t always been traditional in the housebuilding sector.
Ray Gibson, brickwork manager at Barratt East Scotland, looks after the apprentices in his department: “The apprentices have done really well so far despite the different circumstances.
“Because face-to-face classes in colleges are currently on hold, we’ve often adapted the way we work with them. Through a WhatsApp group, I have given them weekly challenges, where they upload pictures and short video clips of what they have been doing.
“These challenges put them in squads who then take the apprentices under their wing, giving them as much training and opportunity with practical experience as possible. Social distancing has made it difficult for the apprentices to learn from other teams, as we’ve had to place them in smaller squads. So these chat groups have worked well to bring them together and form a sense of camaraderie.”
Both Alan and Ciaran said a highlight of the job were the teams they were put in. “Although it’s been odd with social distancing and not being able to mix with the whole site, working with my team has been a highlight. We have a great laugh and it makes learning on the job a lot easier,” said Alan.
“I really enjoyed the experience of meeting new people and I’ve managed to make a fair few friends during the apprenticeship,” added Ciaran.
Different from previous years, the interview process saw each applicant in a group setting, to get a better insight on their ability to work well with others, as well as having to carry out a demonstration of their own individual skills.
“By establishing them in a squad, we hope that by the time they finish their placements they stay with Barratt. I’m pretty confident that this will be true for the apprentices in their third and fourth years and I’d like to think that those in their first years want to move into management,” said Ray.
When asked about his future plans, Ciaran said: “My aim for the next few years is to keep improving my skills and hopefully stay with Barratt.
“If I had to give one piece of advice to someone starting, it’s to go for it. It’s been great learning on the job and from people around me with years of experience. But also, don’t get too cheeky and respect your elders.”
Apprenticeships are an integral part of Barratt Homes, as they recognise the importance of developing and retaining a budding workforce, offering career opportunities in the areas that they build in, while addressing the current skills shortage.
Available to people who have just left school or college and are looking for a new challenge, apprenticeships are also open to those who have already started working towards a career in housebuilding.
Barratt East Scotland will be recruiting eight apprentices in September of this year and January 2022.
A total of 26 new starts will form part of Barratt Developments Scotland’s 2021 intake, in a number of positions across the business, from Sales and Land graduates as part of their ASPIRE Graduate Programme, to bricklayer and carpenter trade apprentices.
