[6] The Bell family managed to tap into the huge demand for private housing that followed the Second World War by promoting developments, such as Cramlington New Town, that were built in partnership with William Leech in the early 1960s.

[7] Bellway developed a substantial housebuilding operation in the north of England and sales reached 1,500 units in 1972 with a further 500 in the newly formed Australian and French subsidiaries.

During 1981, Bellway and fellow Newcastle housebuilder William Leech announced their intention to merge, however, the move was called off days later, allegedly on account of to incompatibilities between the lifestyles of the two firms.

[16][17] One year later, Kenneth Bell died, ending the family's involvement with the company; Howard Dawe was quickly appointed as Bellway's acting chairman.

[18][19] Profits would continue to grow in the following year, a trend that was partially attributed to sustained rises property values and low interest rates.

[27] In March 2018, the company was reported to be on track to build 10,000 homes for the first time in its history; this increase in activity was attributed to low interest rates and good mortgage finance providing buoyancy to the housing market.

[34] Amid a housing slump in August 2023, Bellway announced the closure of its London Partnerships and South Midlands divisions along with 90 redundancies.

[39] In June 2024, Bellway's latest bid to acquire rival Crest Nicholson was rejected; it had made all-share proposals on 25 April and 14 May, the latter valuing the firm at £650m.

[45] On 9 June 2019, a fire took place at the newly built Samuel Garside House located in De Pass Garden, which was constructed by Bellway.

[47] In June 2021, protesters picketed the Bellway offices in Prestwich and Beckton to demand that the company repair numerous fire safety issues which had been discovered in their properties.

[55] In November 2024, the BBC reported problems (including unfinished roads, flooding, loose electrical sockets and holes in ceilings) encountered by home-buyers in a Bellway-built estate in Llay, Wrexham, since it was built in 2020.

[56] In January 2025, the BBC reported on roofing problems in newly built homes in the Willow Green estate in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, and in Brentwood, Essex.