According to a survey of small and medium-sized builders, the planning system is the main barrier holding back the delivery of new homes.
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) annual poll revealed that 55% of members see the planning system as the chief obstacle to new development.
Inadequate resourcing of planning departments was cited by respondents as the most significant cause of delay and additional costs in the application process. This was followed by "inadequate communication" from planning officers.
45% of FMB members have a medium level of certainty in the planning process, with 32% having a low degree, and 11% a very low degree. The survey shows that when the figures were combined, only 12% had a high or very high degree of certainty in the outcome of a planning application.
63% of respondents report that the number of small site opportunities for development is decreasing, down from 82% last year, with 5% reporting that the number is increasing.
Six out of 10 report that the process of obtaining planning for small sites "seems to be getting worse", while 59% of members do not believe the National Planning Policy Framework requirements on local authorities to identify small sites is helping.
71% of builders indicated they are not at all confident about the forthcoming policy of biodiversity net gain (BNG). Meanwhile 30% "want to understand who to talk to about BNG".
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