“The report has a very broad definition of SMEs with very little definition given to the range of house builders within the SME market, such as micro developers, custom house builders and new entrants,” said Brian.

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Brian acknowledged that the findings from the report, which said the reasons for the under delivery of new homes were a complex and unpredictable planning system as well as speculative private development limitations, were a step forward in highlighting the issues SMEs face with the planning system.

However, he criticised the lack of international comparisons in the SME markets, “There are also few international comparisons and where they are included, the findings are fairly tepid, with little realisation for the potential of areas such as custom build, which could be an area of growth for UK builders.”