Taylor Wimpey to re-open construction sites

The company also says house purchase cancellations have represented less than 1% of the total order book since it closed its sites and sales office from March 24, with new sales (200) exceeding the number of cancellations.

Taylor Wimpey said it was now confident it had clear plans and processes in place so it could safely start back on site in a phased way beginning on May 4, starting with its own site management teams to prepare sites for a new method of operating ,with the first subcontractors returning on the week commencing May 11.

“While construction was deemed a permitted activity by the UK Government, we believed that it was essential to be confident that we could modify our working practices to adhere to strict social distancing guidance and this required time and careful planning,” it said.

“We are now confident that we have a clear set of detailed protocols and revised guidelines which we can operate safely, and on a sustainable basis for as long as is necessary. These protocols include a fully revised set of working practices and additional precautionary measures including modified site operational practices, revised Risk Assessments, inductions, and changes to site format, including bespoke PPE for two person tasks which we have designed in-house.”

The Taylor Wimpey COVID-19 Code of Conduct has also been created, setting out its commitment to deliver a safe working environment for employees and subcontractors working on site.

Taylor Wimpey said it would make its new working practices available to others if requested free of charge, which it believes will be useful for smaller housebuilders with limited resources.

The site re-openings will not apply to its Scottish business until a return to construction receives the Scottish Government’s support. Sales centres, show homes and regional offices will still remain closed for the time being.

Taylor Wimpey has furloughed employees based solely on the level of work they could meaningfully do while sites were closed. All furloughed employees will remain on their full pay during their period of furlough.

“During the period while our sites have been closed, trading has inevitably been impacted,” the company said. “However, we are still seeing continued demand for our homes and our sales teams have been selling homes remotely, and digitally, week to week.”

Taylor Wimpey’s order book has continued to increase and as at week ending April 19 2020, the total value stood at approximately £2.67bn (2019 week 16: £2.39bn).