The government must be brutal in reducing planning burdens to help SME housebuilders deliver

By Paul Smith2025-07-31T06:00:00

There is no chance of meeting the 1.5 million homes target without smaller firms delivering. This government should be bolder in reforming planning to help them do it, argues Paul Smith

SME developers are in trouble. A third have gone out of business since 2005 and half of those that remain are at risk of going bust by the end of the decade.

But if we are to meet the government’s home building goals, they are more important than ever

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