Two-thirds of SME housebuilders lack land

Two-thirds of SME housebuilders lack land



The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has revealed that SME housebuilders have limited areas on which to build.


New research from the trade body has found that two-thirds have cited a lack of available land as the biggest barrier to increasing new home numbers.

Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said the biggest challenge facing SME housebuilders was the planning process and urged councils to find a way of allocating more small sites.

“The current focus on large sites is squeezing out smaller developers, which is reducing competition in the housing market at a time when we need more, not less, choice.

“The limited supply of opportunities for small-scale development is one of a number of key structural constraints that has seen the number of homes built by SMEs decline from around two-thirds in the late 1980s to less than a quarter today.”

Brian felt that although the government was attempting to remove red tape, he felt that these reforms were not making a difference.

“It is absurd that the planning system treats a 300-home application in largely the same way it treats a three-home application. 

“95% of SME housebuilders report that the information demands being placed on them during the planning application process have either increased or remain as bad as they were before.

“Our survey shows that the primary cause of unnecessary delays is the planning process, with the under-resourcing of planning departments being the most important concern.”

Brian concluded by telling the government that SME housebuilders should be seen as a key component of the government’s housing strategy, which meant sites should be granted to them.

“…The government needs to press ahead with its proposed planning reforms, including a presumption in favour of small-scale development.

“Planning departments also need to be adequately resourced so that they have the capacity to engage more closely with SME housebuilders and ensure planning applications are processed through the system as speedily and efficiently as they can be.”



1 Comments

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    Alec Archer

    I have a Brownfield site Planning Permission for 24 Houses 3/4 bed all site surveys completed next 7/10 days.Location North Staffordshire. Which is the best Developer to contact?

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