<p>Housebuilders will use the delay to planning policy statement 3 (PPS3) as an opportunity to lobby for further improvements to the draft document.</p> <p>PPS3 was due to be published this summer, but a DCLG spokesperson said: “Because of the large response to the consultation process we are likely to have to wait until parliament comes back from its summer recess in October to publish the final document.”</p> <p>Civil servants were swamped by more than 3,000 responses to the draft. But industry insiders claim the real reason for the delay is the DCLG’s inability to resolve the “size, type and density” policies within the document.</p> <p>HBF director of external affairs John Slaughter said: “Assuming the outcome will be a better draft we are not concerned. We see it as an opportunity to improve it. We don’t want policy to allow local authorities to prescribe size, type and density on a site by site basis.” But he added: “We wouldn’t like to see the delay going on longer than it has to as it may cause delays in the local planning process.”</p> <p>The draft document included Kate Barker’s recommendations for speeding up the supply of land. Alongside the HBF’s concerns, responses to …