Consumer demand for
new homes has fallen by 8% over the last year to its lowest level since 2013.
This is according to
the latest Federation of Master Builders’ (FMB) House
Builders’ Survey, the only annual assessment of small and medium (SME)
house builders in England.
Brian Berry, Chief
Executive of the FMB, said: “Small house builders are starting to see the
effects of Brexit uncertainty taking its toll on consumer confidence.
"Many
prospective homeowners are clearly holding off buying until there is more
political and economic certainty. Hopefully this is just a short-term pause,
and that post-Brexit, demand will pick up once again. If not, and we enter a
downturn period, the Government will need to consider how best to support SME
house builders to avoid many firms leaving the sector.
“The main barriers
facing small house builders have started to ease but they are still present.
This is the fifth consecutive year that small house builders have cited lack of
access to available and viable land as the number one barrier. Small sites are
the bread and butter of SME development, but unfortunately local authorities’
Local Plans are still far too focused on large sites.
“The increases in
planning fees by 20% in January 2018 were supposed to lead to increased speed
and delivery of planning services, but only 3% of our members have seen any
improvement since the rise. In fact, 38% of small builders have seen the
performance of planning departments worsen. Builders are now paying more for an
inferior service which needs to be addressed urgently as part of the
Government’s proposals to accelerate the planning system.”
Key findings of the
report:
• Small house
builders report current buyer demand (out of 5) at 2.9, down from 3.14 last
year, and this is expected to fall further to 2.75 next year;
• Almost half (48%)
of small house builders attribute the fall in buyer demand to a lack of
consumer confidence;
• The four main
barriers to SME house builders (availability of land, planning departments,
access to land and access to skills) all improved over the past year;
• Access to land
remains the top barrier with almost half (43%) of builders citing this as the
top barrier, down from 59% in 2018;
• The planning
system remains the second major barrier to small house builders, with 42% of
firms reported this as a barrier down from 51% in 2018. The main reason being
the ‘inadequate resourcing of planning departments’;
• More than one
third of small house builders (39%) say access to finance is a major barrier to
their ability to build more new homes, the lowest percentage since the survey
began eight years ago. However, reported concerns about the level of loan
refusals are at their highest in three years; and
• Those reporting a
shortage of skilled workers fell from almost half (44%) to one quarter (26%).
