Esson Properties Limited

Esson Properties Limited, a property development and real estate company, gave £5,000 to the Labour Party in May 2001. They are one of the biggest land developers in the North east, specialising in developing industrial estates. The company, known as James Esson (Properties) Limited until 1985, has a subsidiary called Laing Shirras & Co Ltd.

Esson Properties is run by the Esson family (James Esson is the Managing Director) and based in Aberdeen. Since 1999 the company has been trying to get planning permission from Aberdeen Council to develop greenbelt land next to the Altens industrial estate in Aberdeen, but had been refused after objections from local residents in the Cove area, who felt they were "being engulfed by industrial development". The Scottish Executive later gave Aberdeen Council the go-ahead to grant planning permission to Esson after intense lobbying by Labour MSP Elaine Thomson. Hunter Esson, a Director of the company, said it is common for people to give money to political Parties, "especially in the construction industry."