<p><span>Research published today (September 17) has revealed that 81% of housebuilders wish to see a cap on the number of planning conditions imposed by local authorities.</span></p><p><span>Launching at the Home Builders Federation’s Policy Conference in Birmingham, the report - </span><i>Planning Conditions and Their Impact on Housing Supply: Conversations with Homebuilders</i><span> - published by international law firm DAC Beachcroft, analyses the role planning conditions play in the development process and the UK’s housing crisis.</span><br/></p> <p><span>The research, undertaken by the University of Reading’s professor Michael Ball, explores the attitudes of the UK’s largest developers towards planning conditions. It also considers whether the application of conditions is a necessary part of the planning framework, “or an unnecessary hurdle which is hindering the nation’s housebuilding efforts.”</span></p> <p><span> </span><span>DAC Beachcroft’s publication shows that </span><span>88% of respondents said slow action by local authorities had delayed housebuilding. And 81% stated that condition-related delays were reducing their building rates below desired targets.</span></p> <p><span>Planning conditions are requirements attached to the granting of planning permissions in England. They must be “discharged” before construction can begin. This can involve satisfying a “significant” number of conditions, DAC Beachcroft said, relating for example to specific building materials, site decontamination and archaeological surveys.</span></p> <p><span>Andrew Morgan, …