Government Plan for Change initiative

Government Plan for Change initiative

Smaller housebuilders will now be set to benefit from simpler rules with new reforms across land, regulation and finance. The initiative, set to encourage thousands of homes to be built faster on smaller sites across the country as complex planning rules are streamlined, onerous regulatory burdens eased, and financial strength is to be provided to SME builders. 

The current planning 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, who provide local jobs and often train apprentices, have seen their market share shrink since the1980s, when previously, SME builders delivered 40% of the country’s homes.  

The changes will hopefully 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.

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