The Communities and Local Government Committee has launched an inquiry into the capacity of the housebuilding industry to meet demand for new homes.
Chief executives of major developers will be quizzed as MPs probe the role of small and medium-sized developers, the skills, size and sustainability of the workforce, the planning process and development finance.
The committee will also consider innovative ways of meeting demand including offsite construction and direct commissioning by central Government.
The Committee is now inviting submissions of evidence on the following issues:
• whether the numbers of builders and types of firms in the homebuilding industry is sufficient to meet housing demand
• the structure of the homebuilding industry, in particular the role of small and medium-sized developers
• housebuilders’ business models and how risk and uncertainty affect incentives to expand
• the sustainability, size and skills of the building industry workforce
• why fewer homes are being started and completed than the number of planning permissions being granted
• the extent to which current planning approaches cause delays to the building of new homes
• innovative approaches to increasing the housing supply, for example self-build, offsite construction and direct commissioning by central government and local housing companies
• the role of development finance and how it can promote or constrain housing investment
Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “The capacity of the homebuilding industry is a key factor in housing supply, which is simply not keeping up with demand and has left us in the midst of a crisis.
“The Committee will cast a critical eye over the major homebuilders, examine the decline of small and medium-sized developers and look closely at the skills shortages, planning delays and finance issues hampering the industry.
“Our wide-ranging inquiry will also explore alternative models, such as self-builds and offsite construction, to see if such innovative approaches to homebuilding can help address the country’s housing needs.”
Original link - Construction Enquirer
