<b></b>The overall domination of the housebuilding market by just one or two companies - thought to be a possibility following recent merger activity - is unlikely to happen according to Cardiff University planning professor Alan Hooper.<br> Prof Hooper says that there are not as many economies of scale in the industry as might be expected, and indeed there may be diseconomies of scale. <p></p><p>As a result he says that complete industry consolidation will not be pursued.</p><p>Speaking at the HBF&amp;’s south west region annual conference, Prof Hooper said: &amp;“Whilst it seems probable that there may be some marginal increase in the top 25 share from today&amp;’s 58%, the overall domination of one or two companies seems unlikely, if only because of the remarkable stability in total housing production and its geographic spread.&amp;” </p><p>Hooper argues that the urban regeneration agenda has resulted in an increasingly fragmented land development programme and that brownfield land demands increasingly complex production requirements. This could undermine the advantages of standardisation of house type. </p><p>This in turn allows the medium sized firms which have concentrated on the urban regeneration agenda to compete in the market. </p><p>&amp;“The evidence to date indicates that companies have found it difficult to sustain …