Britain’s biggest housebuilder is set to create 170 jobs at a £45 million timber frame factory.
Barratt Developments is building the site at Infinity Park in Derby to scale-up its off-site construction and help it on the path to sustainability.
The 186,000 sq ft manufacturing facility will be used to put together timber frames for new build homes and will replace its existing Oregan site in Burton-upon-Trent. The combined site will have around 200 people working there.
Barratt bought Oregon, one of the UK’s biggest timber frame manufacturers, in 2019 to help it build more homes off-site, as part of its plans to grow the business and become carbon neutral by 2030.
Oregon will relocate to the new based this summer.
David Thomas, chief executive of Leicestershire-based Barratt Development, said: “Increasing our use of modern methods of construction, including timber frames, is a key part of Barratt’s road to net zero carbon.
“Barratt is determined to remain the leading national sustainable housebuilder and our industry-leading innovation and sustainability teams are working with our suppliers to challenge every aspect of construction to reduce carbon in the manufacture, transportation and build process, as well as looking at how customers can cut carbon whilst living in their homes.”
Last year Barratt built more than 3,700 of its 18,000 homes using timber frames made at Oregon factories in Burton-upon-Trent and Selkirk in Scotland.
Barratt wants at least 30 per cent of its homes to be built using modern methods of construction, instead of masonry, by the end of the decade
Using a timber frame system also allows Barratt to cut the build time on developments by around five weeks.
Oregan joint managing director Peter Wade said: “Infinity Park in Derby will become our new base to support Barratt’s commitment as a leader in sustainable housebuilding at scale.
“This new state-of-the-art facility will support our long-term goals to increase the use of modern methods of construction off-site to reduce Barratt’s carbon footprint.”
The factory is being built by Bowmer & Kirkland and will be more sustainable than traditional operations, with solar panels, air source heat pumps and LED lighting.
Some 10 per cent of the parking spaces will have electric vehicle (EV) charging points, and EV ducting has been installed to the remainder of the car park and HGV parking bays to future-proof the factory.
Nick Richardson is managing director at Barratt subsidiary Wilson Bowden Developments, which managed the purchase of the land for the new factory.
He said: “We are proud to have played a pivotal role in the development of Oregon’s new production facility at Infinity Park and ultimately adding to Barratt’s commitment to lead the future of housebuilding.”
