Following a successful year so far despite the global pandemic, Leeds based Harron Homes Yorkshire has appointed a new Managing Director to oversee operations in the region.
Tony Lee, 51 from Auckley in Doncaster, joined Harron Homes Yorkshire in August, marking the apex of an accomplished career with several housing developers.
The appointment follows the launch of a brand new website for Harron and the introduction of the National House Building Council warranty to its homes.
Having started out as a design engineer, Tony progressed through technical roles with respected developers. Most recently, he was Group Technical Director / Deputy Managing Director at Gleeson Homes, where as part of a senior management team, he helped progress from a company developing 200 units per year into the 1500-strong housebuilder it is today.
As a result of his experience and outlook, Tony is focused heavily on business development.
“I‘d like to grow Harron Homes to deliver up to 500 new homes per year,” he says. “We’ve got a great team here in Yorkshire and good safety standards too, so I’d like to use that to our advantage. I’ve not been in post long but I’ve already experienced just how enthusiastic the Team is.”
We’ve got a great team here in Yorkshire and good safety standards too, so I’d like to use that to our advantage.
The desire for new housing does not appear to have waned post-pandemic, and certainly lockdown has not been a huge deterrent to the tenacious team at Harron Homes, who have enjoyed selling success since they have been allowed to return to work.
“We had some concerns about the construction industry during lockdown,” concedes Kelly Booth, Sales & Marketing Director for Harron Homes Yorkshire. “But high quality new homes remain in high demand. Thanks in no small part to the hard work of our colleagues, we’ve seen sales rates that none of us could have predicted at the beginning of the pandemic.”
And Tony, who lives with his wife and three children, remains optimistic about the future of the economy and the impact on business.
“It seems hard to believe that through recession the property market still remains stable – and although every home builders numbers have been decimated by Covid the appetite for new homes is there, so Harron Homes will be maintaining production and increasing where safe working practice allows. The Stamp Duty holiday and the extension of Help to Buy are a great support for the sector and I hope that the government continues to support housebuilding in underpinning the economy.”
“I was attracted to Harron Homes because of the similarities to the Gleeson I joined over 10 years ago in terms of growth potential and opportunity, also the different challenge of offering a higher end, exclusive product is something I’m looking forward to being involved with. I’ll be focusing on quality and customer experience too; I want to ensure that the business is growing in the right way.”
With customer experience on the agenda, Harron has introduced some improvements to its offering. The functional new website, which can be viewed at harronhomes.co.uk, makes it easier to find out about specific developments and get an insight into life in a beautiful Harron home. And in addition, Harron Homes has consolidated its reputation by offering an NHBC-accredited warranty on all of its properties. This enhanced offering will offer extra security at what could be a volatile time for some buyers.