Your article of 21/1/21 invited views on the proposed East of Otley plan for Persimmon Homes to build 550 homes. Your readers may be interested in a headline on the ‘Daily Mirror’ website of 21/1/21 stating,

“Help to Buy Persimmon Homes exposed as worst in UK after investigation.”

The investigation refers to a C4 Dispatches programme of 18/1/21 and notes that Persimmon made pre-tax profits of £1bn+ but were guilty of shoddy workmanship eg 700 faults in a new £280,000 house. They were also guilty of forcing people to start paying mortgages on properties 3 months before the building was completed and the owners could move in. Presumably the owners were effectively paying twice: a place live in whilst also paying for the one they were waiting to move to. Expensive.

Persimmon was not itself financially challenged, however. The ‘Mirror’ notes that Persimmon made £66,000 profit per house. Moreover, chief executive, Jeff Fairburn received a £75m bonus

that year. ( There was no information about his normal salary!) The website shows him walking out of an interview with a BBC ‘Look North’ interview on the subject! Lost for words?

Missing fire barriers were also an issue. The website ‘Building’ (nominated for PPA Business Publication of the Year) notes,

“Persimmon in ‘systematic nationwide’ fire safety failure, report commissioned by firm says” (Joey Gardener 17/1/21) This quote comes from a report on Grenfell Fire conducted by QC Stephanie Barwise.

To return to your original question: what about the East of Otley plans for Persimmon Homes?

Humm... In view of the above I have, ‘severe reservations’...

David Taylor, The Whartons, Otley