A housebuilder operating across Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire has contributed more than £85.9m to the UK’s economic output in the past year, according to a report.

East Anglian Daily Times: A David Wilson Homes development Picture: MATT READINGA David Wilson Homes development Picture: MATT READING

Barratt and David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties, based in Chelmsford, has built 458 homes in its operational area, supporting 1,416 jobs directly and through its contractors and suppliers.

A report on its socio-economic footprint in 2018, carried out by planning consultant, Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (NLP), covered its last financial year to June, 2018.

It found it directly employed nine new graduates, trainees and apprentices, and supported 250 subcontractor companies and 370 supplier companies.

Ninety per cent of the components it used in the construction process were manufactured in the UK and it planted or retained 9,890 trees or shrubs on its developments.

Managing director Mark Cotes said: “We are very proud to be a major force in the growth and prosperity of the region, and look forward to continuing our work in 2019.”