https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48113301
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/persimmon-homes-admits-dangerous-missing-2816833
Category Archives: Persimmon
Yet another Persimmon horror story
“Housebuilder Persimmon faces new investor revolt over ‘highly excessive’ pay”
“Housebuilder Persimmon is braced for a fresh revolt over its controversial bonuses after shareholder advisers urged investors to vote against the company’s ‘highly excessive’ pay.
Advisory group PIRC has instructed investors to oppose the pay report for a second year running at the annual meeting early next month.
Last year, the FTSE 100 company narrowly escaped defeat over its bonus scheme for top bosses, but still suffered a major rebellion.
The scheme included a bonus worth more than £100million for former boss Jeff Fairburn that was trimmed to around £75million after a public backlash. The bonus pot was boosted by the taxpayer-funded Help to Buy scheme.
Persimmon, led by new chairman Roger Devlin, has attempted to draw a line under the scandal by trimming the overall payouts, ousting Fairburn, ensuring that all staff are paid more than the living wage, and making steps towards improving the quality of its homes.
Two other advisory firms Glass Lewis and ISS have both backed changes made by Devlin.
A Persimmon spokesman said the company understood ‘the need for pay restraint and spent 2018 working to ensure Persimmon’s future remuneration is clearly aligned with best practice’.”
“Persimmon launches review in drive to rebuild its image
Surely if homes are built properly, at the right price and without greedy director bonuses very little customer care would be needed and no culture change would be required! And if you can’t build enough decent houses due to skills deficits, you set up a training scheme OR build fewer houses.
That will be £1 million consultancy fee for Owl within 14 days, please.
“The UK’s most profitable housebuilder, Persimmon, is launching an independent review of its customer care, culture and the quality of its work as it attempts to move on from an executive pay scandal and complaints over its new-build homes.
The review, to be led by an independent chair, Stephanie Barwise QC of Atkin Chambers, will look into Persimmon’s customer care approach, systems and culture, quality assurance processes, and the speed and consistency of its response to issues. It said the findings would be published by the last quarter of 2019.
Persimmon faced an investor revolt last year after a pay scheme tying rewards to share price performance c aused a furore, with £500m in bonuses paid out to 150 executives amid a sector-record annual profit of £1.1bn on the back of the government’s help to buy scheme. …”
Persimmon retention deal – is it a good deal?
“I know that Persimmon has today, for example, announced the fact that they are going to be the first major housebuilder to bring in a retention idea, so some money will be retained by the buyer’s solicitors to deal with issues if there is anything that comes forward in the future. We’re putting enormous pressure on the housing industry to generally improve standards, particularly with regard to fire safety, and we’ll be reviewing building regulations later in the year to make sure that we get it right.”
Kit Malthouse, Housing Minister
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-47573969
NO, NO, NO says Owl!! It’s a fixed percentage of the purchase price!
IT WILL SIMPLY BE BUILT IN TO THE PURCHASE PRICE!
Persimmon: at least 1,000 south-west homes built without required fire barriers
“New homes built by Persimmon missing fire safety barriers.
Homes built by one of the UK’s largest developers were constructed without essential barriers to slow the spread of fire.
Regulations dictate the flame-resistant material must be installed in roof spaces and wall cavities.
Housebuilder Persimmon Homes found it was missing from some properties on estates in south-west England.
It has written to more than 1,000 people to say their homes need to be checked.
One resident in Truro, Cornwall, said his house “is potentially a massive fire risk”.
The homeowner, who did not want to be named, said recent inspections of his five-year-old house revealed “a vast amount” of fire were barriers missing.
“I’m extremely concerned because I have a family, including two children, living in this house,” he said.
Some of the homes affected are on a Persimmon-built estate in Exeter where a fire last year “rapidly escalated” as it spread between properties.
Speaking about the blaze, Cornwall councillor Dulcie Tudor said it had spread “through to the roofs of the adjoining houses”.
Homes without cavity barriers “act like a chimney” in the event of a fire, she said, and called for work on all Persimmon Homes developments to be halted until the faults have been rectified.
Fire safety consultant Alan Cox said blazes “could easily travel from one compartment or property to another” if there were missing barriers “at roof level”.
A spokesperson said the firm had “identified this as an issue in its south west region” and had “carried out a full check of more than 1,100 timber frame properties and checks are ongoing”.
“However, while investigations are live we are not in a position to advise of the results”.
Persimmon includes Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Dorset within the south-west region.
The company did not confirm whether there were any issues in other parts of the country.
Cornwall Council said its enforcement powers were limited because it had not inspected the homes when they were built.
Repeated breaches of building regulations can result in the developer being taken to court by a local authority.”
“Persimmon Homes missing fire safety barriers confirmed in Cornwall as well as Devon”
“A Persimmon Homes family say their home is like living in a chimney, after discovering vital fire safety barriers were missing from their home.
The owner of the property, who wished to remain anonymous, asked for his property in Truro to be inspected after reading of the safety issues with homes in Exeter on Devon Live.
In January, a Persimmon Homes whistleblower urged all home owners to have their properties inspected after claiming the problem is widespread. Up until then, the building firm had only confirmed properties in one of its developments, Greenacres, and the Newcourt area near Topsham, had failed inspections.
The whistleblower – a Persimmon Homes employee – alleged the issue was not confined to the one development. Among other developments the employee claimed could also fail inspections were:
Coverdale, Paignton
Harford Mews, Ivybridge
Hill Barton Vale, Exeter
Agusta Park, Yeovil
Heathfield Gardens, Monkton Heathfield, Taunton
Chilmark Glade, Shaftesbury
Since then failures have also been reported at Persimmon Homes in East Devon new town Cranbrook, and now at Lowen Bre in Truro – which is the first confirmation the issue has been highlighted in Cornwall as well as Devon.
The issue was exposed following a ‘ferocious’ blaze which broke out in Trafalgar Road off Admiral Way and Topsham Road, last April, which spread into the roof spaces of two of the adjoining properties.
After reading the whistleblower’s recommendations on Devon Live, the owner of a house in Lowen Bre asked Persimmon Homes to inspect their five-year-old home, when cavity barriers were found to be missing, as well as stops and socks which prevent the spread of fire through walls and floors.
The owner, who asked not to be named, said: “My house is like a chimney because if there was a fire it would spread pretty quick through it. It’s negligence by Persimmon Homes and the National House Building Council (NHBC) who have signed the property off.
“After our home failed the inspection a few days later they returned and they were put in place, but I’m also missing about 50 per cent around the windows. We have 20 odd windows and doors.”
The development the owner lives on has about 160 homes and it is believed letters have been sent to some of its residents.
The home owner said: “I want to make everyone in the development aware of the issue so that they can get their home checked.
“As a national house builder, Persimmon Homes have a duty of care to ensure their homes are built correctly and I feel that this issue shows a lack of adhering to building regulations.
“We have lived in our property since October 2013. All this time we have been at constant risk due to the required fire safety details not being installed. With children in the house whose bedrooms are both on the top floor, it makes this situation even more unbelievable.”
The builder has already come under fire by residents after their voiced their frustrations after it took four years for work began on its promised as a condition of its planning permission.
Residents said they had to endure countless promises of start dates from Persimmon Homes for work at the playground to begin which were then broken the company.
A spokesperson for Persimmon Homes said: “The development as a whole is being inspected as part of the ongoing process. As Persimmon Homes has already confirmed it has committed to a thorough inspection process to ensure the required standards are met and is undertaking remedial work wherever the need is identified.
“Persimmon Homes has a dedicated team in place to deal with any remedial work that is required, and customers on any of our developments can make contact at any time if they have concerns.”
Persimmon Homes did not provide a response to the following questions:
1. Of those inspected so far in Lowen Bre how many ave passed?
2. A list of development where inspections are being carried out in Cornwall, Devon and across the country.
3. The results of those inspections so far.
A spokesman for the NHBC said it had not received any contacts or claims concerning fire safety barriers at Lowen Bre in Truro.
He said: “Any homeowners with an NHBC Buildmark policy who have concerns about this issue can contact our claims team who will be happy to provide them with advice and support. As the UK’s leading warranty provider we care passionately about the quality of new homes.
“We work with builders to help them improve the construction quality of the homes they build for the benefit of our policyholders, the homeowners.
“NHBC’s inspection regime is not a replacement for the builder’s own quality control checks and obligations to build in accordance with building regulations.”
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/persimmon-homes-missing-fire-safety-2633631
“Homeowner discovers 700 faults in £280,000 [Persimmon] new house after spending life savings”
“New homes in Devon are built so badly ‘children can remove cement with their fingernails’ “
Owl is confused. Isn’t EDDC’s Building Control department supposed to be passing or failing these new properties?
“The East Devon District Council meeting heard from Cllr Douglas Hull, who proposed the motion and said: “There are so many badly new built houses in East Devon and it is getting even worse”
The Government has been urged to prioritise a new property ombudsman to streamline complaints against shoddy builders as there are ‘so many badly new built houses in East Devon’.
Councillors on Wednesday unanimously voted to call on the government to fulfil its February 2018 pledge to provide the much needed remedy for homeowners as a matter of the highest priority.
The East Devon District Council meeting heard from Cllr Douglas Hull, who proposed the motion and said: “There are so many badly new built houses in East Devon and it is getting even worse.”
Cllr Hull added: “We have to have houses we can be proud of the region, and we have to say that enough is enough. We need to think about the people who end up buying second rate houses.”
He added that in some of the new houses, they are built so badly that small children with can rip out the cement with their fingernails, adding: “If you don’t believe me, try it yourself.”
Cllr Eleanor Rylance added: “We have a quality control issue with a lot of the houses, and then we have a problem with people are renting from a housing association who don’t feel that they can be complain as they will lose their house.
“Cranbrook is developer led but some developers are prone to get people to buy the property before everything is done.”
No developers were named during the meeting, but it has recently been confirmed that Persimmon Homes are carrying out fire safety barrier inspections in Cranbrook after it was found that some new build homes were missing them.
Cllr Ian Hall added: “Some of the building companies in this area just don’t care, and they have no shame.”
Cllr Geoff Pook, who has been involved in the building trade in East Devon, pledged his support for the motion.
The council unanimously agreed to urge the government to fulfil its pledge to introduce a new property ombudsman to streamline complaints against shoddy builders as soon as possible.”
https://www.devonlive.com/news/new-homes-devon-built-badly-2605646
Want to object (or support) plans for Axminster? Tough luck!
“I have now heard from 3 separate people that the EDDC Planning Website is not functioning properly and that submissions in objection to the planning applications can not be processed. I have asked EDDC Planning / IT to investigate immediately.
In the meantime, you can however submit by email to
planningeast@eastdevon.gov.uk or to
planningmajorprojects@eastdevon.gov.uk
And they will be treated as legitimate comments and uploaded to the website and considered by the planning department accordingly.
Best wishes.
Cllr. Paul Hayward.
Persimmon: Cranbrook is confirmed among developments being inspected for missing fire safety barrier inspections
“Persimmon Homes is continuing to carry out fire safety barrier inspections not just in Devon but across the South West and nationally after it was found homes were missing them, it has been confirmed.
The developer has not disclosed which housing developments it is inspecting, but it is now known Cranbrook, the new town in East Devon will have 6,551 homes by 2027, as well as Hill Barton Vale in Exeter, Coverdale in Paignton and even developments in Cornwall, are among them.
The issue was exposed following a ‘ferocious’ blaze which broke out in in one of its developments, Greenacres, and the Newcourt area near Topsham. Last April a fire in Trafalgar Road off Admiral Way and Topsham Road, last April, spread into the roof spaces of two of the adjoining properties. Both homes failed subsequent fire safety barrier inspections.
In an email shared with Devon Live by a Newcourt resident, Persimmon Homes stated last month it is continuing to inspect homes. Persimmon Homes South West suggested the pass rate in Newcourt is 59 per cent, and the majority of other sites are achieving a pass rate of over 90 per cent of plots inspected. …
…However, the developer has been criticised for taking too long to carry out inspections after being made aware of the issue, as well as for sending out inspection request letters to residents in Cranbrook on unheaded paper, and confusing residents by sending out duplicated inspection letters when their homes have already been investigated.
In the email, Richard Oldroyd, regional chairman of Persimmon Homes, said: “You have asked what we are doing nationally and I can confirm that further inspections are being completed, but I am unable to provide details at this stage.
“I can confirm that as we previously advised when we met we have increased the resource on this project to ensure we are able to complete the inspections in shorter timescales.
“As you are aware we had relied upon the National House Building Council (NHBC) as part of their building control service to ensure that the cavity barriers were correctly installed. As a result of this failure in process we have instigated our own additional checking regime to provide an additional compliance inspection.”
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/cranbrook-confirmed-among-developments-being-2582214
CON-sultation – Axminster-style!
Axminster Masterplan “consultation ” this Friday 8 February
“The Crown Estate is holding a public consultation event from
2pm to 8pm
on
Friday (February 8)
at Millwey Community Centre,
to seek residents’ input on its proposals for land east of Axminster.
The Crown Estate’s site forms part of East Devon District Council’s (EDDC) Masterplan for the area, approved last week by councillors, for up to 850 homes, employment space and community uses as well as green space and a relief road.
The Crown Estate’s application would look to provide 441 homes – 25 per cent of which would be affordable – the central section of the proposed relief road, as well as space for new offices, shops and community facilities.
The event is an opportunity for local people to hear more about the plans and share their thoughts, ahead of a planning application being submitted to EDDC later this year.
Steve Melligan, strategic land portfolio manager for The Crown Estate, said: “Our proposals will help deliver a significant part of the new relief road for Axminster, as well as new homes and employment space for the area. We’re excited to present our plans to the community and look forward to hearing their views.”
https://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/plans-unveiled-at-millwey-community-centre-1-5879374
Strategic Planning pitfalls? Certainly for Axminster
A reporter … reports:
“At Tuesday’s Strategic Planning Meeting at Knowle (29 /01/2019), chaired by Paul Diviani, the masterplan for increasing Housing in Axminster by a whopping 30% , was voted through almost unanimously (there was one abstention), despite serious cross-Party criticism of the plan.
As the debate ended, the considerable number of Axminster residents in the public gallery were astonished to hear the Chair’s quip, to Cllr Jill Elson, “ I felt confident that you would come out with something that would stir things up”.
Cllr Elson (shown on right of the photo, beside Cllr Philip Skinner), had argued firmly that “the problem with plans is that they change” , citing her Ward as an example.
“Exmouth ended up with two huge estates with no play space or amenities whatsoever”, she said. Cllr Mike Howe (Con) shared her concerns, saying, (the masterplan) “doesn’t give us much credence or security that we will get the right houses”. But the Deputy Leader of the Council, Philip Skinner (Con ), expressed his view that “Give and take is needed in negotiations with a developer”.
Shortly afterwards, when Cllr Geoff Jung (East Devon Alliance, EDA) observed that the plan might not suit young families, it became apparent that Cllr Skinner was not aware that the proposal to include a primary school had been dropped.
Cllr Eleanor Rylance (Lib Dem) had noticed significant typing and other errors in the masterplan document. Cllr Rob Longhurst (Independent) observed there was no mention of the words ‘Neighbourhood Plan’ in the document.. although Cllr Moulding had told the meeting that he had designed one for Axminster… and suggested this Strategic Plan Committee would like to see “if the community wants and needs” the masterplan.
Cllr Susie Bond (Independent) asked for clarity about the legal implications for the Council if the costs for the relief road “went through the roof” (So far, EDDC has agreed to borrow £7m to ensure the road, estimated cost £16.7m, can be delivered.)
Ian Hall (Con) admitted “this masterplan doesn’t sit easily with the residents of Axminster”, which Alistair Ferguson’s speech in Public Question Time, confirms. The text is reproduced below, with Mr Ferguson’s permission):
In support of the objections, other District Councillors, Cathy Gardner and Marianne Rixson (both EDA), also attended the meeting, though not on the Strategic Planning Committee themselves.
Cllr Gardner pointed out that agreeing to a massive increase in the town’s housing numbers “would not be for the right reasons”, if it was done primarily to fund a relief road. The masterplan “was being done to the people of Axminster, not for them”, she said.
And Cllr Marianne Rixson added that “delivery of affordables does not have a good record” in East Devon.
Having listened to the comments aired, Cllr Geoff Pook (Ind) cautioned the committee not to be “persuaded by the opposition”. “There are just as many people in favour”, he opined.
Finally, the fear that the time-limited government funding for the relief road would be missed, therefore putting in jeopardy the 650 homes allocated in the Local Plan, swayed the committee members to approve the masterplan, albeit with caveats based on their misgivings.
Is this how the wrong sort of housing so often gets built in the wrong place?
In Axminster’s case, how much will the masterplan impact on the historic former deer park? As Cllr Mike Howe, Chair of the Development Management Committee (DMC) told yesterday’s meeting, there’s an urgent need to know….’
EDDC agrees Axminster masterplan with 200 extra houses (now 850)
Persimmon and Crown Estates say they won’t be able to afford to build a relief road unless they build 850 houses rather than the original 650.
So EDDC majority rolled over to have their tummies tickled … and agreed.
Do try to remember this if the developers say they got their sums wrong and will need to build hundreds more …. or no road at all.
Persimmon Homes divides and rules on safety of homes leaving it to individuals to ask for safety checks
“A Persimmon Homes employee is urging all home owners to have their properties inspected to make sure they are not missing essential fire safety barriers after claiming the problem is widespread.
The worker, who asked to remain anonymous, has alleged that although homes have been confirmed to have failed inspections in a housing development in Exeter, there are other sites which have the same issues.
The house builder has previously refused to answer vital questions about properties in one of its developments, Greenacres, and the Newcourt area near Topsham, including how many have failed vital fire safety barrier inspections.
The issue was exposed following a ‘ferocious’ blaze which broke out in Trafalgar Road off Admiral Way and Topsham Road, last April, which spread into the roof spaces of two of the adjoining properties.
… [An Exeter owner said] he found [his home] to be missing vital fire barriers in its cavity walls.
He says Persimmon Homes were originally unwilling to tell him how many homes they had inspected and had failed, so Paul asked residents to share their pass or fail inspections in order collate his own figures.
Of the 135 residents who have so far disclosed their inspection findings, he says 65 per cent have currently failed across the whole housing development.
When broken down by the age of properties, 50 out of 76 built within the past five years failed, amounting to a 65 per cent fail rate.
Out of homes built five to nine years ago, 38 out of 58 failed which is also a 65 per cent fail rate, according to Mr Frost’s data.
Persimmon Homes hit the headlines last year when former chief executive Jeff Fairburn left the company following huge controversy about its bonus scheme which is believed to be the most generous from a FTSE 100 company. In 2018, he had been in line for a £110m payout before it was scaled back to £75m in the face of political and public outrage.
When approached for a comment over the allegations made by the employee, a spokesperson for Persimmon Homes said: “Persimmon Homes will not comment on anonymous claims and allegations.
“The focus is on customers and as, has been stated repeatedly Persimmon Homes will liaise directly with them.”
Squatters in Persimmon and Redrow homes that buyers can’t move into “because access road not completed”
“SQUATTERS have invaded brand new £300,000 houses after a legal ruling banned residents from moving into their own homes.
The luxury family homes, which have already been bought, are still unoccupied after a bitter row over an access road erupted. …
… Developers Persimmon and Redrow are jointly building 500 properties on the Yew Tree Hill estate, which is on the outskirts of Droitwich, Worcs.
But a dispute broke out last February between the companies and Wychavon District Council.
Planners had initially agreed for 188 finished homes to be occupied before an access road on the A38 leading to the estate was completed.
But the council became concerned the roadworks were not on track to be finished properly so it took the developers to court.
They then secured an injunction banning any more people from moving into the properties until the access road was widened.
Residents say no new homes have been built for months and the completed houses have become a haven for squatters.
‘THEY’VE LIED TO US’
Retired police officer Mark Naylor, 52, who moved into one of the first homes with wife Dawn, 51, in December 2017, said: “There has been crime on the estate with people breaking into unoccupied houses.
“Vans have turned up with people trying to break down fencing and get inside to try and take whatever they can.
“Homeless people are sleeping rough in the houses.
“I do feel sorry for people who have put down deposits but can’t move in.
“Persimmon are happy for the residents to just soldier on. They’ve lied to us.”
‘OVERRUN WITH SQUATTERS’
Another resident living in the finished side of the development added: “It’s a nightmare.
“The estate is being overrun with squatters and gangs targeting the empty houses.
“Sometimes at night you can hear them trying to snap the locks on the fences around the empty houses and sometimes the sound of glass breaking.”
The resident says “squatters and undesirables” have “exploited the window of opportunity created by the legal row”.
They added: “It must be torture knowing you’re dream home is being abused by squatters and rough sleepers while you’re powerless to do anything to stop it.
“It’s not right. The developers aren’t interested and the people who already live here and those waiting to move in have been hung out to dry.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8209327/squatters-take-over-new-homes-droitwich-yew-tree-hill/
“Persimmon expects higher profits as help-to-buy props up prices”
“… Persimmon is one of the main beneficiaries of the taxpayer-funded help-to-buy scheme, first launched by George Osborne in 2013. When the scheme was extended in 2017, a report by Morgan Stanley found that the £10bn of taxpayers’ cash had mainly benefited housebuilders, rather than buyers, by pushing up prices.
Persimmon said it was in an “excellent market position” ahead of the key spring selling season, despite “increased levels of uncertainty” due to Brexit. It had £1.39bn of forward sales reserved at the end of last year, up 3%. Rival Taylor Wimpey was also upbeat about its outlook last week.
Both housebuilders are more cautious when it comes to buying land. Persimmon said it was taking a “selective approach” and Taylor Wimpey revealed that it had walked away from or was trying to renegotiate 2,000 plot purchases – amounting to about 11% of the total land it bought last year. …”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/15/persimmon-profits-help-to-buy-prices
Persimmon “Mystery remains over extent of new homes health and safety fire risk breaches”
Persimmon, whose MD recently retired with a £75 million bonus(reduced from £100 million after public outcry.
“One of the UK’s largest house builders has refused to answer vital questions about properties in one of its developments – including how many have failed vital fire safety barrier inspections.
An imminent health and safety risk to residents of Greenacres, and the Newcourt area near Topsham, was exposed following a ‘ferocious’ blaze which broke out in Trafalgar Road off Admiral Way and Topsham Road, last April, which spread into the roof spaces of two of the adjoining properties.
Firefighters had to dig through cavity walls between properties to ensure the fire was fully out. The fire was caused by cigarettes dropped into the under floor vent, and during the blaze the roof structure held up.
It later emerged all three properties, owned by social housing provider LiveWest, were found to be missing vital fire barriers in their cavity walls.
It has not been confirmed when all the homes were inspected, but there is believed to have been a significant delay in doing so. …”
https://www.devonlive.com/mystery-remains-over-extent-new-2425681
“Ex-Persimmon chief fails to set up charity after anger over £75m bonus”
Owl says: a charity for the homeless would seem appropriate …!
“Jeff Fairburn, the former chief executive of the housebuilder Persimmon, has failed to set up a charity almost a year after pledging to do so in an attempt to assuage public and political anger at his “obscene” £75m bonus.
Fairburn has not registered a charity with the Charity Commission or made any inquiries about how to set one up, 10 months after he said he would donate a “substantial proportion” of his bonus to a charitable trust. Fairburn declined to comment.
He was ousted last month after the company said his mammoth pay deal had become a “distraction”. …”
East Devon Watch 