As the UK has now passed the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak and the incredible NHS is turning the tide on the huge demand put on its services, Hayfield is today recommencing construction work on close to 400 new homes across its development portfolio.
Construction work paused on all Hayfield sites at the end of March to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its workforce and their families. The suite of live developments comprises Hayfield Grange in Southam, Warwickshire; Hayfield Green in Stanton Harcourt and Hayfields in Southmoor – both in Oxfordshire; and Hayfield Place in Silsoe and the soon to be launched Hayfield Gate in Clifton – both in Bedfordshire.
Mark Booth, Managing Director of Hayfield said: “I have been astounded by the team spirit and dedication from all Hayfield staff throughout lockdown. The strong sense of community and comradery that is being seen across the country will contribute massively to getting the UK back on its feet.
“Last night the Prime Minister specifically urged construction sites to be operational, providing we can do this safely and with social distancing measures in place. With Government and Construction Leadership Council guidance, our Health and Safety team has been busy compiling a Safe Operating Procedure. This will enable us to maintain our core values and ensure our customers, everyone who works for Hayfield, our valued supply chain and all those we encounter are protected.”
Throughout lockdown, Hayfield has remained open for business seven days a week in a virtual sense, which has enabled the business to progress with planning and pre-construction work on number of developments in the pipeline. Hayfield has also secured residential land opportunities and taken new reservations across its portfolio of live schemes.
With robust social distancing protocols and physical protection measures in place, Hayfield is now undergoing a process of restarting construction work. To pave the way for this, an onsite presence five days a week – Thursday to Monday – was put in place from last week to serve customers at all Hayfield’s schemes.
Mark Booth continued: “I want to stress that we have done everything possible to ensure this is not ‘business as usual’. All our staff have received Hayfield Safe Operating Procedures training. Additional signage, PPE and welfare consumables have been procured, and our contractors have re-written and re-trained their employees in Covid-19 compliant safe working.
“While the global impact of Covid-19 is unprecedented, when I founded Hayfield, the cyclical nature of the housebuilding industry was designed into the business plan to accommodate recessions and shocks to the system. As the basic macroeconomics of housebuilding have not altered, the board remains encouraged that a new business norm will be achieved. Hayfield’s foundations are strong, and our funding partners see us as a resilient and solid housebuilder of note. We are well placed to move on with our business plan and I am confident our growth will be consistent with our progress over recent years.”
At the end of March, Hayfield secured a five-star customer satisfaction rating in the first year it has participated in the esteemed star rating scheme run by the Home Builders Federation (HBF).
In 2019, Hayfield made history by becoming the first ever to be crowned Best Small Housebuilder in both the WhatHouse? and Housebuilder Awards. The company also won Best Customer Satisfaction Initiative at the 2019 Housebuilder Awards, with the judges selecting the newcomer above numerous established PLCs.
Hayfield also won Best House Under £750k at the 2019 Evening Standard New Homes Awards and Residential Developer of the Year at the 2019 Insider West Midlands Property Awards. The company has also scooped three NHBC Pride in the Job Awards.
For contact details and more information on Hayfield’s development portfolio, visit: https://www.hayfieldhomes.co.uk/developments#current-developments
