A HOUSING developer that paid its chief executive a £75 million bonus this year has been told it can reduce the contributions it makes to a Bradford community.

It will mean that Persimmon Homes will be paying £310,000 less in contributions to local schools, transport and recreation space than it was originally asked to as part of a huge housing development in Thackley.

Housing giant Persimmon Homes first revealed plans for 220 homes on Cote Farm in 2013. The plans met with huge opposition in the area, and the development was eventually refused by Bradford Council in 2014.

Persimmon appealed that decision, and in 2015 a government planning inspector overturned the Council’s refusal, saying the need for housing land in Bradford was “severe and immediate.”

With permission for housing on the site already approved, the developer recently submitted plans that include more details about housing types and the layout of the site.

As well as revealing that the development will contain 12 fewer homes than previously announced, Persimmon asked Bradford Council if it could reduce the payments it makes in order to offset the impact of the development.

These payments, to go towards affordable housing, education, public open space and public transport, originally amounted to £2.7 million.

As part of its latest application, the developer asked Bradford Council if this could be reduced to £2.4 million, citing viability issues.

The development will still include 20 "affordable" homes.

The claim that the company would not be able to pay the full amount in contributions to the local area comes just weeks after its chief executive, Jeff Fairburn, was handed a £75m bonus.

He was originally offered a £110 million bonus, but agreed to a reduced amount.

The eye watering bonus lead to huge criticism from company shareholders, politicians and charities.

Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee met in City Hall to discuss the application yesterday.

Councillor Alun Griffiths (Lib Dem, Idle and Thackley) said: “I notice the developer is providing five per cent fewer housing, but is asking for a 10 per cent reduction in contributions. That seems a bit excessive, and I can’t really support it.”

He was told that the houses being dropped from the plans could be larger, higher cost properties.

Despite criticisms, the committee voted to approve the detailed plans, and reduced contribution.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland (Lib Dem, Idle and Thackley), who has been a critic of the development from the start, had described the request to reduce the contribution as “mealy mouthed.”

She added: “This is breath-taking, 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 per cent profit on the development.

“This multi million pound company will be taking £300,000 out of the area. These services will still need to be paid for.”

The Telegraph & Argus asked Persimmion for a comment on why they had asked to pay a smaller contribution. A spokesman said: “The land at the Thackley site has some topographical constraints; however, we have worked closely with the council to establish a scheme that is satisfactory from design, highways and planning policy perspectives.

“An independently assessed development appraisal was required to ensure much needed new homes can viably be delivered in this area.

“The appraisal established that a sum of £2.4 million is to be made available to facilitate the provision of affordable housing on site, as well as financial contributions towards education, public open space and improvements to public transport.”