THE government has been urged to simplify the regulations associated with building new homes.

It has been asked by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) to use the opportunity presented by Brexit to reform EU regulations in order to help smaller builders.

In a report entitled ‘Reversing the Decline of Small Housebuilders’ the HBF sets out proposals to address the obstacles facing smaller firms of builders, including red tape, and financial and planning barriers.

It points out that the number of SME builders has reduced by 80 per cent in the past 25 years. However, just getting the numbers back up to levels seen in 2007 would result in an additional 25,000 homes a year.

Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, said: “Whilst housing output has increased significantly in recent years, the vast majority of the increases have come from larger companies.

“The number of smaller builders has collapsed over recent decades with few new entrants to the market able to grow to any size.

“If government wants to see continued increases in supply it is imperative it enables SME builders to play their part.

“Removing the barriers for SME builders could result in tens of thousands of desperately needed additional homes being built boosting economies up and down the country.”As well as tackling EU regulations to help reduce red tape, the HBF has also proposed creating a new Help to Build scheme to help provide sustainable lending for smaller companies, lifting barriers for builders to access tax incentives and tackling planning problems that affect SME builders.