Developing affordable homes

Barratt is one of Britain’s best-known housebuilders having sold over 300,000 new homes around the country but what many people don’t know is that the developer also provides affordable housing

Barratt was first established in 1958 in Newcastle upon Tyne and the company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1968.

Nowadays it has 24 regional offices throughout the UK and has developments from Aberdeen to Plymouth, helping to meet housing demand in towns, cities and rural areas.

The company provides homes for all market sectors including rent and shared ownership. In fact for the financial year 2008-2009 the company built about 1,800 social units throughout the UK.

Barratt Southern Counties, based in Guildford, Surrey, is no exception and is providing a share of affordable homes on several of its ongoing developments.

Operating in the desirable areas of East and West Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, there is no doubting that affordable homes in the region are much sought after.

“Under the planning system we are obliged to provide a certain number of affordable homes,” explains Mark Noton, Barratt Southern Counties development manager. “That will differ from council to council but typically will be in the range of 20 to 40 per cent.

“It is how the Government delivers affordable housing in this country and it is all part and parcel of development for us, we know we have to deliver affordable homes on our sites.”

Work is currently underway on a 250-home development on the outskirts of Hassocks, Sussex, which will comprise 75 units for affordable rent and shared ownership.

The three-bedroom properties will be available through RSLs Southern Housing Group and Moat.

Also in Sussex is a 130-home development in Lindfield which will provide 36 homes for social rent and shared ownership.

Barratt is also building affordable homes at The Acres development in Horley, Surrey. In total The Acres will see 600 three, four and five bedroom homes; 25 per cent of which will be socal housing.

Finally Barratt is about to start work on 170 units at a site that it has bought in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, and it has sold 68 of those units to Sentinel Housing Association.

Barratt doesn’t have preferred RSL partners but it does look to build lasting relationships with the housing associations that it works with.

“Effectively RSLs have preferred planning areas they like to work in because of their relationship with the local councils so they will be stronger in some areas than others,” says Noton. “We will go to certain parties and it will be a reflection on their commitment to that area on who we end up working with.

“But the same people do come up and we have done a number of developments with Moat, and Southern Housing for example as they cover East and West Sussex like we do so you do find that you are dealing with the same people by and large and you do build up relationships.”

However Barratt’s foray into the social housing sector doesn’t just involve offering a proportion of homes to a housing association, as stipulated by planning regulations. The company is also looking to work with RSLs on joint developments.

“At the moment we provide a certain percentage of affordable housing which is what we have to provide under the planning system,” says Noton. “But we are equally keen to try and do joint developments with housing associations outside of Section 106 quota work.

“Along the lines of housing associations maybe have a land holding and we can step in and help build it out for them or maybe assist with the planning, or maybe we have land and they want to share the risk with us by purchasing part of the land from us and developing it jointly. Effectively it would have to be something that is mutually beneficial to both parties.”

Building affordable homes is not Barratt’s only commitment to giving back to local communities; the developer also has a lot in common with social housing providers in that it is always keen to support the neighbourhoods in which it builds.

“We always like to take an interest in the wider community and a couple of things we do from an employment point of view is a graduate scheme and an apprenticeship scheme where we will employ people from the local area,” says Noton.

The apprenticeship programme mixes college study with practical training with the trainee operatives either being employed directly by Barratt or through one of its sub-contractors. There are currently four apprentices working out of the Guildford office, with plans to employ four more in the near future.

The company also does its bit to support local businesses. “Typically when we are working in an area our first port of call for suppliers will be suppliers based in that local area and then we will widen the circle if we can’t find what we need,” says Noton. “So we try to support the local area in various different ways.”

Barratt’s remit is often worlds apart from that of social housing providers but in many cases it is inextricably linked. Whether a company is providing social housing or homes for private sale, it is ultimately all about putting a roof over people’s heads and perhaps they are not that different after all.