Yorkshire housebuilder phases reopening of construction sites

A Yorkshire housebuilder has announced that it will be reopening its construction sites from Monday (27 April).

Persimmon, based in York, closed all its sites and offices late last month as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is introducing a “phased reopening” with new social distancing measures following an emphasis from the government on the importance of the construction sector.

The company commented: “The group is announcing today that it will begin a phased reopening of its construction sites from the morning of Monday 27 April 2020 which will allow us to support our customers by completing the construction of the new homes they have purchased in a safe and responsible manner.”

David Jenkinson, CEO, added: “The UK government has been very clear on the importance of the construction sector to the UK economy and its desire to see activity continue through the current period of crisis, provided appropriate public health measures are adopted.

“Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and wellbeing of the public, our colleagues, sub-contractors and suppliers.

“Having spent the last month developing and testing new site protocols that incorporate the necessary social distancing and protective measures, we believe that we are now able to return to site safely and support the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic.

“These new measures are fully compliant with government public health guidance and will be strictly enforced by a specialist team, with any individual failing to uphold standards being subject to disciplinary action and removal from site.

“Persimmon’s strong financial liquidity has enabled us to maintain our operational capability through this period by supporting all our colleagues on full pay, which will allow us to reopen sites swiftly, and emerge from the shutdown well-prepared and ready to deliver the new homes the country needs, aided by our strong work in progress position.”

“The commitment from our colleagues throughout this most challenging period, both to the business and to the wider communities in which we work, has been exceptional and I would like to thank them all for their unstinting support.”