Building firm Persimmon fined for breaking planning conditions at Kinross site.

Persimmon Homes carried out illegal groundworks on a Sunday morning

One of the UK’s biggest construction firms has been fined by Perth and Kinross Council for breaking strict planning laws.

Persimmon Homes was caught working on a Sunday morning at its 300home Lathro Park development in Kinross.

Bosses, who initially said its contractors needed to be on site solely for emergency work, have now apologised for the breach of planning regulations and pledged that it won’t happen again.

The latest violation has prompted calls for planning chiefs to consider blacklisting the firm from lodging further planning applications.

Council chiefs confirmed that a fixed penalty notice had been issued against the firm, following a complaint from a nearby resident.

The company has been fined £300, although that can be reduced to £225 if they pay within 15 days.

A spokeswoman said: “Following a site visit to the Lathro Park housing development in Kinross, Perth and Kinross Council – as planning authority – can confirm that the Sunday works being undertaken were to fix a burst water main and as such had the benefit of enforcement discretion.

“It is unfortunate that Persimmon’s contractors also took the opportunity to carry out some ground works while on site.”

She said: “The planning authority is issuing a fixed penalty for this breach, having already taken formal enforcement action relating to an earlier breach of condition.”

Iain Innes, managing director at Persimmon Homes North Scotland, said: “We have accepted the council’s penalty for this breach and apologise for any disruption.

“We instigated the emergency repairs in good faith. However, during the time our contractors were on site they also carried out minor groundwork that had not been instructed by us.

“We will do our very best to make sure that this does not happen again.”

Local Lib Dem councillor Willie Robertson said: “You don’t expect a big national company like Persimmon to adopt such a cavalier attitude to its working practices.

“If it were up to me, the planning authority should take breaches like this into consideration when looking at any of the company’s future developments,” he said. “If the firm has a history of problems, then it should be blocked from building anywhere else until the problem is sorted once and for all.”

The fine is bad timing for Persimmon which unveils plans for the next stage of its Lathro Park development at a public meeting today.

The consultation event runs from 3pm at the Loch Leven Community Campus.

You don’t expect a big national company like Persimmon to adopt such a cavalier attitude to its working practices.

COUNCILLOR WILLIE ROBERTSON

Picture: Ken Whitcombe. The developer was caught breaching planning conditions at Lathro Park.