Government acts to help SME housebuilders

Small developments of up to nine homes are to have Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements eased as the government moves to help SME housebuilders.

Under a series of proposals announced today (May 28), the government is also promising faster planning decisions for small sites using expert planning officers instead of planning committees.

The proposals also include:

• A new “medium site” category: Sites from ten to 49 homes will face simpler rules with fewer costs – including a proposed exemption from the Building Safety Levy and simplified BNG rules
• Homes England to release more of its land exclusively to SMEs, and a new National Housing Delivery Fund to be confirmed at the spending review to support long-term finance options, such as revolving credit facilities and lending alliances
• A new pilot to unlock small sites for SMEs: Small Sites Aggregator pilots will be run in Bristol, Sheffield and the London Borough of Lewisham to look to unlock sites that would otherwise not have been developed, seeking to attract private investment to build new social rent homes. This builds on a model developed by Lloyds Banking Group’s Social Housing Initiative.

Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner said: “Smaller housebuilders …