Background
On 20th October 2011 the Federation of Master Builders gathered together MPs and experts from across the construction industry to discuss the ‘Building for Growth’ policy recommendations. The recommendations are designed to help ensure the construction industry can play a central role in the economic recovery, and are driven by a number of the Government’s current policies. Importantly, there is cross-industry support for the ‘Building for Growth’ recommendations, which have been developed as part of the Get Britain Building Campaign.
Output in the construction industry has declined significantly since 2008 and the return to growth in early 2010 was only short-lived. Prospects for growth in the coming years currently look weak and a continued crisis in the industry will harm the wider economic recovery. The ‘Building for Growth’ Parliamentary Briefing event was organised to help the industry engage with Parliamentarians and challenge them to persuade the Government to maintain a focus on creating growth in construction.
In order to gather further support for the ‘Building for Growth’ recommendations, leading industry magazine Construction News also participated in the briefing event and coverage will help spread these important messages far and wide.
‘Building for Growth. More Homes, Less Carbon' focuses on four key policy themes. These are: jobs and growth, more homes, less carbon and access to finance.
Jobs and growth
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Incorporate construction’s ability to create growth in deciding policies and priorities.
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Ensure the new local authority ‘duty to co-operate’ extends to Local Economic Partnerships so businesses are fully involved in determining planning objectives.
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Invest in selective, demand-side assistance to improve output and employment prospects.
More homes
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Ensure the National Planning Policy Framework adheres to the presumption in favour of sustainable development so suitable applications are not delayed unnecessarily.
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Ensure planning authorities identify housing requirements within the NPPF, and maintain a viable 5-year land supply to satisfy them.
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Retain a commitment to release surplus and under-used publicly-owned land for new homes.
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Fulfil commitments to reduce regulation on builders to make more sites developable.
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Extend Stamp Duty relief for first-time buyers up to £250,000 beyond March 2012.
Less carbon
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Simplify VAT rules and rates: they are complex, confusing and do not favour green improvements.
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Extend the 5% rate to cover the installation of all micro-generation and energy-saving measures eligible under the Green Deal to encourage people to commission such work.
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Promote the purpose and benefits of the Green Deal to consumers to stimulate demand.
Access to finance
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Ensure lenders increase the flow and total sum of money lent to creditworthy borrowers.
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Encourage banks part-owned by taxpayers to lend to housing and green improvement projects.
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Use the Green Investment Bank to catalyse finance for green construction of any size.
Download the briefing ‘Building for Growth. More Homes, Less Carbon’ (PDF, 656 KB).
