ONE of Selkirk's largest employers has been taken over.

New owners Barratt Developments are predicting a bright future for Oregon Timber Frame.

Oregon currently employs around 170 workers between its Dunsdalehaugh plants and a base in Staffordshire, producing around 2,000 timber frames each year.

Founded in 1998, the company moved from Jedburgh to Selkirk seven years later.

They specialise in the design, manufacture and erection of timber frame structures for the construction industry

Despite a dip in the housing market during the financial crash, Oregon has continued to expand.

Oregon Timber Frame chairman Rod Lawson believes the Barratt buy-out is a positive move for his company.

He said: “We’re very proud of what we have achieved over the last two decades, building a successful company with a fantastic workforce.

"Now we welcome the next chapter with Barratt who are as committed to quality as we are and have exciting plans for the future of both of our businesses.”

Barratt Developments is already the UK's largest housebuilder.

In 2018 Barratt announced new targets of volume growth of three-to-five percent over the medium term, supported by a target of building 20 percent of their homes using an element of offsite construction by 2020.

Across the last three years Barratt has built close to 5,500 homes using timber frame construction.

It currently uses timber frame in the majority of residential properties it builds in Scotland and is increasing its use across England and Wales.

Barratt Scotland regional managing director, Doug McLeod said: "We are delighted that Oregon Timber Frame will now be part of Barratt.

"They are one of the leading timber frame manufacturers in the UK and we’ve worked with them for many years so we know how good they are and what a great team they have.

"We want to build more high quality homes using timber frames and bringing Oregon on board will help us to do that.”