YORK headquartered housebuilder Persimmon has reported a record year as pre-tax profits close in on the billion pound mark.

The Fulford-based FTSE firm saw average selling prices increase by more than three per cent over the last year to £213,321, contributing to a nine per cent rise in revenues up to £3.42 billion.

Announcing results for the year ending December 31, 2017, bosses at Persimmon hailed the 12 months as a period of “outstanding performance”, during which underlying pre-tax profits grew to £977.1 million.

Legal completions during the year increased by 872 new homes from 2016 to 16,043, with the firm converting more than 8000 plots of land from its portfolio while acquiring more than 17,000 more.

Persimmon’s newly appointed acting chairman Nigel Mills, said: “Persimmon’s performance in 2017 has been excellent. The Group’s focus on high quality growth, coupled with capital discipline, has accelerated the delivery of our strategic objectives and generated record returns for our shareholders.

“The Group’s outstanding performance is demonstrated by both the strength of the financial position of the business and the quality of the asset platform, which provides the opportunity to continue to deliver excellent returns moving forwards.

“The start to the spring sales season in 2018 has been encouraging with the Group’s private sales rate per site being seven per cent higher than last year at this point.”

Simon Usher, managing director of Persimmon Homes Yorkshire, said that regional staff helped to deliver 546 new homes across Yorkshire in 2017, and indicated the local team is set to grow in numbers.

“The results are a total team effort and we were delighted to deliver hundreds of vital new homes across the region”, he said. “New developments were opened at Hull, Selby and Sherburn in Elmet and we are set to be even busier with new sites planned to launch in Harrogate, New Waltham near Grimsby, Easingwold, Pickering and York, and also hopefully at Cottingham and Pocklington where the Persimmon Yorkshire team has just recently secured planning permission.

“None of this would be possible without our professional and dedicated team and, as we aim to grow the business further in 2018, we look forward to welcoming more people into the company.”