Clearview National January 2015 - Issue 158 | Page 21

INDUSTRYNEWS

Government
Gives House
Building a Boost
Announcements made by the Chief Secretary
to the Treasury, Danny Alexander MP as
part of the publication of the National
Infrastructure Plan place housing at the
heart of the Government’s long term plan
and shows a welcome emphasis on the
importance of small sites for housing delivery.
»»Brian Berry, Chief Executive
of the FMB, said: “Given the scale of the
housing crisis we face, I’m encouraged to
see housing considered alongside long-term
infrastructure planning. It is more pleasing
still that housing delivery is being viewed in a
much more comprehensive way than we have
seen before. As well as announcements on
major developments, determination to speed
up planning and releasing more public land,
there is an equal focus on the importance of
small developments in meeting long term
housing need.”
Berry continued: “Government, at a central
and local authority level, can fall into the
trap of being excessively focused on large
projects, at the risk of ignoring the enormous

cumulative capacity of small sites
to deliver new housing. One of
the major barriers which small house builders
face in bringing forward small developments
is the disproportionate cost and complexity
which the planning process tends to inflict on
minor applications.”
Berry concluded: “The publication of
data, which will ensure greater transparency
around processing times for minor
development applications, is an important
step in maintaining focus on smaller sites.
A commitment to looking at how to better
support the approval of more small sites is also
an extremely welcome statement and we look
forward to engaging with government on this
issue.”

This recent announcement comes shortly
after the Government said it would be
lowering the threshold on the Builders Finance
Fund to five units. “The Government’s
decision to open up applications to the
Builders Finance Fund to the very smallest
house builders is going to make a real
difference to our sector,” Brian explains. “We
know that access to finance is the main barrier
to SME house builders increasing their output
and the fact that Ministers have taken our
advice, shows that government is committed
to empowering small local builders and
ensuring they can contribute to the muchneeded uplift in new homes.”

Great British winter sees door sales increase

MDW Factory (inside)

»»Bad weather is not normally
a positive thing for businesses, but the wind
and rain is proving to be a good business
opportunity for Cheddar based MWD
Trade Frames who has seen sales of its door
range increase.
Jim Martin, Director commented:
“When replacing old PVCu doors,
many homeowners look to add style
to their home and improve insulation
and weatherproofing against the winter
weather.
“To help installers meet demand, w