Barratt lays out plans for 1,400 homes and 300 new jobs

Housebuilder Barratt Developments has unveiled plans to open more than a dozen new sites across Scotland, ­including developments in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, in a move it said will underpin about 300 ­more jobs.

Douglas McLeod, Barratt's regional director in Scotland

The firm said the 14 sites will create 1,420 new homes as well as support local sub-contractors and tradesmen, and come after what it described as a “strong year for the group in Scotland”.

The locations also include Haddington, Linwood, Strathaven and Newmachar and come as Barratt targets 16,750 completions for the whole of 2016.

Douglas McLeod, regional director in Scotland, said: “We have seen demand for new homes remain high and our new sites will provide more choice for buyers looking to purchase in some of Scotland’s most sought-after residential locations.

“It’s also good news for the Scottish economy not just in terms of supporting local construction jobs but also through the generation of local revenue from new residents spending in local shops and on local services.”

“We know the positive social and economic impacts that our developments can make and we’ll be working closely with all the communities in which we’re building, to make sure we maximise those impacts as we progress.”

Barratt also said that last year it built about 1,390 homes, underpinning “employment opportunities” for 4,500 people and including the flagship David Wilson Homes development in the west end of Glasgow.

In a trading update the company said it experienced an “excellent” first half ending in December with completions up by 9.4 per cent.