<p><span>Two thirds of SME housebuilders have seen their growth projections lower as a result of Covid-19, a new survey reveals today (October 19).</span><span><br/></span></p><p><span>The survey – <i>State of Play: challenges and opportunities facing SME home builders </i>– by the Home Builders Federation and Close Brothers Property Finance, is described as “one of the most comprehensive surveys of small and medium enterprise (SME) housebuilders<span>”. It reveals that of those who have seen their growth projections reduce, 39% </span><span>are projecting </span><span>falls of between 10% and 50%, with 26% seeing projections </span><span>fall by 1-10% </span></span></p><p><span>The research finds that three quarters of SME respondents use the Help to Buy scheme. This reflected the “lifeline” the initiative has given to small housebuilders, HBF and Close Brothers said. But upcoming regional thresholds are expected to be a barrier, according to the survey.</span></p><p></p><p><span> </span><span>The survey also reveals planning as a significant ongoing SME concern, with 83% of respondents citing delays in securing planning permission or discharging of planning conditions by local authorities “as a major barrier to increasing housing delivery over the next 12 months”.</span></p><p></p><p><span>In accessing the government’s coronavirus financial support measures, SMEs have reported “varying degrees of success”, with </span><span>just over half (53%) </span><span>attempting to access the …