Today’s announced reforms to the planning system are welcome changes to boost housing output, but without adequate funding for local authority planning teams, smaller house builders will struggle to get a foothold, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to today’s Government announcement on further planning reforms to help deliver 1.5million new homes.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB said:
“The nation’s small housebuilders need to regain a foothold in the housing market, and the Government planning reforms are a positive push in the right direction to enable this to happen. For medium planning sites the reforms will help SMEs grow their businesses. Getting to the ambitious 1.5million new homes target will require a joint push from the entire housing sector to achieve it and diversification of the housing market will be essential to ensure this happens.”
Berry continued:
“While the announced improvements help, smaller developers need well-staffed and dynamic planning teams, achieved through a boost in staff numbers or the use of innovative technology to support the process. Technical changes to planning will only ever go so far before funding becomes the main barrier which stalls sign offs. This is something the Treasury needs to understand and inject more cash to overcome a crumbling planning system.”