June 2023
Phase Two Foundations
Barratt David Wilson’s extensive quality assurance processes discovered issues with the design of some of the foundations of the first homes that are currently under construction on Phase Two at Darwin Green 1.
30 of these homes are at a more advanced stage of construction and will therefore need to be demolished and rebuilt. The remaining plots will require work to remove the foundations and any other structures that have been started.
This is an extremely rare situation and Barratt are working hard to put things right.
Cundall, an independent, expert and global engineering consultancy were appointed to review and assess Phase One after the noticing the foundations on Phase Two.
Their report confirms that the foundations at Phase One are appropriate for the ground conditions on the development and are confident that there are no quality concerns. You can read their full report, and the latest letter to residents, below.
Darwin Green – Foundation Peer Review, BDW1 (PDF)
Darwin Green Phase One Residents Letter and FAQ (PDF)
Barratt will work closely with the Council in the coming weeks to design a demolition process which has as little impact on existing residents and the wider environment and community as possible.
FAQs
Is my home at risk of foundation failure?
No. The issues affecting Phase Two properties are not found at Phase One and we are confident that there are no quality concerns. As you will see above, we appointed Cundall, an expert independent engineering consultancy, to conduct a thorough investigation into the design and NHBC inspections of homes built in Phase One. This report confirms that the design issues affecting Phase Two properties are not found at Phase One and we are confident that there are no quality concerns.
In addition, to offer further reassurance, we have decided to provide homeowners in Phase One with a 15-year structural warranty for each property which will commence on expiry of the 10-year NHBC structural warranty, meaning that each home has the benefit of structural warranty cover for 25 years. As always, we want to put our customers first. We will be writing to you with further detail on this supplementary warranty in the coming days.
What are you doing to rectify the issue?
Our focus now is on putting the issues right and ensuring that the demolition of the properties causes as little disruption as possible for nearby residents. We will work closely with residents and the local authority as we remediate this phase of the development and will share our plans with you.
How did you become aware of the issue? When was this?
In recent months, as part of our regular quality checks, we identified some early signs of foundation stress at a small number of Phase Two properties. We immediately halted construction and appointed third party engineers to conduct a thorough investigation, which identified issues with the design of foundations of Phase Two properties.
Will you be recycling materials from your demolition?
We will be sharing more details on how we will demolish the homes soon, but we will work with the local authority to ensure that the approach and method minimises any impact on you and your neighbours.
Wherever possible, we will recycle materials from the demolition. We are the UK’s leading national sustainable housebuilder, and so we will do all we can to ensure the demolition is done in as a sustainable way as possible.
How are you supporting the customers who had reserved properties?
We are in close contact with our customers. We have given those affected the option to either cancel with a refund of costs to-date, or to continue with their reservation with a commitment that we would meet any additional costs they incur as a result of the delay.
We are pleased that a significant number have confirmed they wish to proceed with their purchase, either of the property they had reserved or elsewhere at Darwin Green.