We're Lifting Burdens From The Backs Of Builders Says Shapps

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced he is scrapping new proposals that could have cost developers thousands of pounds extra to build new homes, and pledged an overhaul of the complicated building standards that make it hard for developers to complete their projects.

The Government will not introduce a new set of building standards that were proposed for many of the homes built with Government funding or on public sector land, which would have cost developers an extra £8,000 for every home.

Ministers believe that the national building standards are sufficient to deliver high quality homes, and it is an unfair and unnecessary expense for developers to require additional building standards for public build, at a time when the country desperately needs to build more homes.

Mr Shapps also pledged to end the 'alphabet soup' of local building standards and red tape that blight efforts to get developments started, and sweep away the bureaucratic assessment regimes that accompany them. He invited the industry to come forward and help develop a new system for local standards so new development meets the needs of local communities, without placing an unnecessary strain on developers.

Currently housebuilders face a complex mix of building standards and codes that are attached to planning permissions. Ministers believe these extra requirements are often unnecessary 'gold plating', which can be contradictory and place additional costs on developers, making their projects less viable.


In their place, housebuilders and councils will work together to develop a simple and transparent 'menu' of costed standards that will not place unrealistic burdens on developers. The move is designed to make it easier for companies to build new developments where they are wanted, and follows the Government's pledge to match the council tax raised from new homes for the first six years through the New Homes Bonus. Councils that go for growth will build up rewards for their local area, and there will be a higher level of funding for building new affordable homes.

Mr Shapps said: "This is the first step of many towards reducing the unnecessary cost and hassle that the people who build our homes are forced to endure. Last year, housebuilding slumped to the lowest level in peacetime since 1924. We were in the midst of a recession, but the situation was made much worse by regional targets that forced developers into direct conflict with local communities, and compounded by the alphabet soup of regulations and red tape that housebuilders have to navigate.

"We are on the side of families who want more good quality homes available - that's why we're scrapping expensive new standards for homes built with Government cash and on public land. There's no good reason why homes built on public land should be built any differently to those of high quality on private land. So I'm getting rid of this unnecessary requirement, and I'll be working hard to make sure that, in the long run, the standards that apply to private and public housing are exactly the same."

Proposals for new Core Standards for development funded or on land owned by the Homes and Communities Agency, which could on average have cost developers an additional £8,000 per home, will not be implemented. In the meantime, to provide stability and protect delivery, the HCA will continue to use existing standards, but Mr Shapps confirmed in the longer term, the standards that apply to private and public housing should be the same. As a start to this process, all centrally-imposed standards for houses built on surplus central government land will be removed, in a move expected to provide a boost to home builders.

Work will begin on a new Local Standards Framework that will be developed and maintained by industry and councils. The Government will help its development, but industry and councils will develop the ideas themselves, to ensure the options proposed meet the needs of local communities, and don't impose unrealistic burdens on developers. The new local framework will be included in the National Planning Policy Framework, which will be introduced by the summer of 2012.

Mr Shapps also confirmed that the recent review of Building Regulations will be published shortly, and will keep the regulations as the mechanism to set national minimum standards. Starting today, there will be an opportunity for developers to make suggestions for further deregulation of the industry.

(CD/GK)