<b>Morris Homes has expanded out of all recognition in the past 15 years and broke the 1,000 homes a year bracket on buying Allen three years ago. Steve Menary visits the firm&amp;’s Stourbridge development which reflects Morris&amp;’ move into the Midlands market</b><br><b>In 1988, Morris Homes was a family-owned business that had been operating for 25 years with no real ambitions outside its traditional base in Cheshire.</b><br><b>Since selling out to Riordan Industries that same year, Morris has undergone two management buy-outs and will sell more than 1,000 homes in 2003 for the first time.</b><br> biggest private housebuilder<p></p><p>The catalyst for breaking the 1,000-unit mark was the acquisition of Allen&amp;’s housing division for &amp;£24 million three years ago.</p><p>Mike Gaskell led the latest mbo five years ago and is now managing director.</p><p> He explained: &amp;“We&amp;’re probably the biggest privately owned pure housebuilding company left.&amp;”</p><p>Since the Allen deal, Morris has a landbank of a massive 7,000 sites and sales are spiralling in the Midlands in particular as work starts on sites inherited from the deal, such as the 32-unit St Giles Row scheme in Stourbridge.</p><p>Bought by Allen for just &amp;£400,000, the site was an overgrown wasteland apart from a listed Victorian building that was abandoned …