Leading construction firm Barratt Developments is celebrating building its 500,000th house, more than 60 years after being founded in Newcastle.
Now based in Leicestershire, the company has launched an online tool showing changes in the housing market over the last six decades. It has also announced a charitable foundation that will mark the 500,000 house landmark with donations to charities totalling £500,000.
The company was formed by Sir Lawrie Barratt in 1958 and has expanded to become the 海角视频’s largest housebuilder. The company - originally called Greensitt Brothers, from a partnership with local builder Lewis Greensitt – grew out of a project in which Sir Lawrie built his own home in Northumberland.
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Barratt became a national player in the 1970s when a series of TV adverts featuring the Barratt helicopter turned it into a household name. A deal to buy David Wilson Homes in 2007 saw it grow to become the 海角视频’s largest housebuilder.
To mark the 500,000 homes milestone, Barratt has launched a new charitable foundation and made donations to 10 charities.
Five organisations - Re-engage, The Samaritans, Refuge, The Matt Hampson Foundation and The Care Workers’ Charity - will get £25,000 each. CALM, The Wildlife Trusts and Marie Curie will each receive £50,000, whilst Dementia 海角视频 gets £75,000 and Macmillan Cancer Support will receive £150,000.
David Thomas, chief executive of Barratt Developments, said: “Creating communities has been a lasting legacy of ours since 1958 when Sir Lawrie Barratt first founded Barratt Homes and we are extremely proud of our contribution to society over the past 60 years.
“We now look forward to a new era of house building, one rightly shaped by the green agenda but still very much grounded in community.”
Last month Barratt reported record numbers of home sale completions in its half-year results. It expects up to 15,750 homes to be completed over the full year and another 650 through joint ventures.