Government support measures for small to medium-sized (SME) house builders are a welcome start to help boost the housing market's recovery, said the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to the Housing Secretary's statement this week that  that construction work can be undertaken across England providing sites are able to operate safely in line with the new COVID-19 Secure guidelines.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “I welcome the Housing Secretary’s statement this afternoon regarding the sector’s safe return to work. The Government clearly recognises the need to support small to medium-sized (SME) house builders at this pivotal time. Following conversations between the FMB and Housing Minister, I’m especially pleased to see that local authorities are being encouraged to take a more flexible approach to community infrastructure levy (CIL) payments as house builders have been struggling with cashflow and need support to continue building.”

Berry concluded: “Speeding up the planning system will be welcome news for many smaller house builders who struggle to negotiate what has typically been an unwieldy process. I hope that digitization will mean greater access and transparency in planning decisions for all those involved. We must move towards a market which helps small builders bring forward quality local homes of all types, for local people.”