Persimmon Homes 'penny-pinching on Thackley development'

Plans for 220 homes on Cote Farm, Thackley, Bradford, were announced in 2013

One of the UK's largest house builders has been accused of "breathtaking penny-pinching" after cutting payments to a local community.

Persimmon Homes originally agreed to pay £2.7m to offset the impact of a 220-home development in West Yorkshire.

In plans submitted to Bradford Council, it said 12 fewer homes would be built, and asked to reduce its contribution to local services by £310,000

The company said an independent appraisal had advised scaling back.

Plans for 220 homes in Thackley were refused by the council in 2014 but the decision was then overturned on appeal.

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The company's money is a contribution towards affordable housing, local schools, transport and recreation space to reduce the development's impact.

Plans for the homes on Cote Farm were first announced in in 2013, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A government planning inspector overturned the council's refusal, saying need for housing land in Bradford was "severe and immediate", in 2015.

Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee voted on Thursday to approve plans for fewer homes and the reduced offset payment.

Jeanette Sunderland, a Liberal Democrat councillor for Idle and Thackley, said: "This is breathtaking penny-pinching from a developer who made almost a billion pounds of pre-tax profit.

"Meanwhile residents in Idle and Thackley have to find from their council tax payments the additional three hundred and ten thousand pounds to pay for the services Persimmon say they cannot afford to contribute to, despite expecting to make at least 20% profit on the development.

"This multimillion-pound company will be taking £300,000 out of the area.

"These services will still need to be paid for."

The company said: "An independently-assessed development appraisal was required to ensure much-needed new homes can viably be delivered in this area.

The appraisal established a payment of £2.4m was to be made available, it added.

Persimmon announced plans to pay its chief executive, Jeff Fairburn, a £75m bonus, in April.