<p>The Home Builders Federation is in “embryonic” talks with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) over a radical new approach to Building Regulations. The overhaul would see the industry and government work together to develop strategic plans on which future changes would be based. HBF is also beginning to meet with key stakeholders including the NHBC, Local Authority Building Control, Robust Details Ltd and the Construction Products Association on the plan, which aims to offer more predictability for businesses. </p> <p>HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley said: “We would like to work with government to agree priority areas and set targets of what is possible by, say 2010 or 2020. We want to take the lead in forward planning to have more control over our own destiny. “Whether the government will insist on it being the driver of standards we don’t yet know. But we all need to maintain our focus on the big picture: increasing housebuilding rates. Regulatory changes must be implemented in such a way that they do not slow down build programmes.”</p>