Barratt Developments is to restart construction on 50% of its sites as part of plans for a phased reopening from 11 May.
The company closed all of its sites and offices by 27 March and said it has since been developing working practices and protocols so that its sites can operate within government and Construction Leadership Council guidelines.
Barratt has plans to change signage, site welfare facilities, site access and walkways and has already implemented the alterations on one of its sites as a pilot. A nominated ‘social distancing marshal’ will also be present on all sites to ensure workers are compliant with the new measures, and Barratt said it would provide induction, training and support for its employees and subcontractors.
A total of 180 sites will be involved in the first phase of reopening, currently no plans to re-open any sites in Scotland.
Barratt furloughed 85% of its workforce on their normal pay at least until the end of May. It said that the phased reopening meant that a “significant proportion” of the workforce will be able to return this month.
As of 28 April, Barratt had £430m of cash at its disposal and a total of £900m of credit facilities and private placement notes.
David Thomas, chief executive of Barratt Developments said: “Our first priority is the health and safety of our employees, sub-contractors and customers. We have created a detailed set of working practices and protocols for employees and sub-contractors to ensure that we can reopen our construction sites safely, in a phased and measured way, which minimises risk. In line with our commitment to put our customers first, we will be prioritising the completion of those homes that our customers have already exchanged or reserved.”
