The custom and self build sector is being offered the opportunity to comment on ineffective rules and heavy-handed enforcement that stops it building the homes that Britain needs, in a new Cutting Red Tape review. And NaCSBA encourages its members, and the wider industry, to have its say.
Building on the work of the Housing Implementation Task Force, this review will uncover the issues that have the biggest effect on housebuilders and seek the views of smaller firms to understand the unique pressures they face. The wide-ranging review will capture the experiences of all those involved in building homes, including developers, planners and trade associations.
Previously, the Housing and Construction Red Tape Challenge delivered significant reforms and led to a review of local housing standards by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
The key starting points for the review are based on the priorities raised by the Task Force:
- roads and infrastructure rules for new housing developments
- environmental requirements, particularly EU rules such as the Habitats Directive and wider EU environmental permit requirements
- rules that affect utilities (such as electricity, gas and water – as well as broadband infrastructure)
The government is also keen to look at the changes made to the Construction, Design and Management Regulations, as well as any examples of EU rules that are being implemented too strictly. The new Cutting Red Tape review will look at the way the law is enforced, as well as whether the rules themselves are proportionate and fit for purpose. And the responses will lead to government taking concrete steps to remove burdens on business.
The review (https://cutting-red-tape.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/house-building/) closes for comment on 13th January 2016.
