Sales at housebuilder Persimmon have risen by a third so far this year as the York-based firm continues to reap the benefits of a resurgent market.

Persimmon, which also trades as Charles Church and Westbury Partnerships, said its revenues rose by 33% on a year earlier to £1.2bn in the six months to June 30, as the wider economy improved.

Sale completions jumped almost 28% to 6,408 homes during the period, while its average selling price was up by 4% to £186,000.

There are already signs that banks are beginning to cut back on mortgages as recent figures showed that mortgage approvals for house purchase dropped to 61,707 in May from 62,806 in April, an 11-month low.

Persimmon said mortgage lenders have continued to support the market, while “exercising discipline in the improving market”.

The company trades from 380 sites and said its consented land bank at June 30 stood at 82,300 plots, providing an “excellent platform” for the future development of the business.

Wayne Gradwell, managing director of Persimmon Homes West Yorkshire, welcomed the increase in legal completions, saying: “Every extra home we build leads to more employment, both directly at Persimmon Homes West Yorkshire as well as with our diverse range of suppliers across the region.

“We have a robust recruitment programme in place to bring new people into the business, whether it’s trained professionals or apprentices and trainees and with the second half of 2014 set to be just as busy as the first half, we are looking forward to welcoming more new people to the business in the coming weeks.”

Persimmon will open 100 new sites in the second half of 2014 across England, Wales and Scotland. In West Yorkshire, it is set to start building in Wombwell, Ossett, Castleford, Rotherham and Morley.

Mr Gradwell said:. “Everybody knows that there is a shortage of new housing and we’re working hard to deliver homes into the communities where they are most needed.”

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