FINANCE: House builder Barratt Developments’ forward sales book has increased by 17% to £1.7bn.
Forward sales – including joint ventures – as at 31 December 2014 covered 8,300 plots, compared with 7,291 at the end of 2013.
In the six months to 31 December, the developer completed 6,971 homes, a 12.5% rise on the same period in 2013.
During the same period the average selling price rose to £229,000 from £211,200.
The company said consumer demand across all of its regions had remained robust.
Mark Clare, group chief executive of Barratt Developments, said: “Our significant investment programme in new land continues to pay off and over the next six months we plan to open around 90 sites, which will give us the highest average number of developments for six years.”
He added that the sites would accommodate 13,500 new homes.
