Government backs local builders to get Britain building
|
Thousands of homes will be built faster on smaller sites across the
country as complex planning rules are streamlined, onerous
regulatory burdens eased, and financial firepower is provided to
SME builders. The current system makes it far too difficult for
smaller builders to get spades in the ground – with a small site of
10 homes jumping through the same planning hurdles as one with 100
or more. Smaller firms, which provide local jobs and train eight
out of 10...Request free trial
Thousands of homes will be built faster on smaller sites across the country as complex planning rules are streamlined, onerous regulatory burdens eased, and financial firepower is provided to SME builders. The current system makes it far too difficult for smaller builders to get spades in the ground – with a small site of 10 homes jumping through the same planning hurdles as one with 100 or more. Smaller firms, which provide local jobs and train eight out of 10 construction apprentices, have seen their market share shrink since the 1980s, when SME builders delivered 40% of the country's homes. Today's changes will help turn this around, driving up competition across the sector and helping deliver the Plan for Change milestone of 1.5 million homes, so more working families and young people can achieve the dream of homeownership. Today's proposals include:
Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said: “Smaller housebuilders must be the bedrock of our Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes and fix the housing crisis we've inherited – and get working people on the housing ladder. “For decades the status quo has failed them and it's time to level the playing field. “Today we're taking urgent action to make the system simpler, fairer and more cost effective, so smaller housebuilders can play a crucial role in our journey to get Britain building.” Full details are being set out today for the modernising of planning committees – ensuring elected councillors focus on the most significant proposals and larger developments rather than small-scale projects or niche technical details, while more faster decisions are made by expert trained planners. Under these plans, once a development has been agreed in principle technical details won't keep going back and forth to committees - accelerating housebuilding and saving council planning departments time and money. Further support announced today for local builders includes:
It comes as just yesterday [27 May] the government unveiled its plans to train up to 120,000 new apprentices, including within construction – ensuring the industry has what it needs to get building. The wide-ranging package for SMEs today builds on the government's planning overhaul so far, with the new National Planning Policy Framework alone expected to drive housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years and add £6.8 billion to the economy by 2030. ENDS Note to editors:
|