Letter: Visit to Barratt’s New Head Office Was Interesting

Published on: 24 Nov, 2021
Updated on: 24 Nov, 2021

From: Ramsey Nagaty

GGG borough councillor for Shalford

In response to: Mayor Opens Housebuilders’ New Guildford Head Office

I attended the official opening by the Mayor of the new Barratt offices in my ward at Artington.

Prior to doing so, I did obtain clarification from the GBC Monitoring Officer that it would not be inappropriate to attend.

I was interested to see their superb new offices and the wellbeing provisions made for their staff. It was also an opportunity to discuss greener building and Barratt’s move to adopt lower carbon building methods, better insulation and alternative heating to gas boilers.

We also discussed the increased use of prefabrication and the ever higher cost and scarcity of building materials. Importantly, we also covered apprenticeships, training and employment of local workers and staff.

I found it an interesting visit.

Responses to Letter: Visit to Barratt’s New Head Office Was Interesting

David Roberts Reply

November 25, 2021 at 11:17 am

Some might accuse Cllr Nagaty of fraternising with the enemy. But my understanding of GGG’s policy is that they are not at all opposed to house-building in itself – only to building too many wrong houses in the wrong places.

Only by protecting our countryside from over-development can developers like Barratt be encouraged to regenerate our failing towns and slow the pace of climate change. Most people want to live in economic homes, including social housing, in suitable urban and brownfield areas with good infrastructure.

That is the opposite of what is currently being built under the Tory Local Plan. Developers need to talk more to community organisations like GGG to understand how to change course.