Small house builders and developers: current challenges to growth

New homes and the current challenges

The UK’s small house builders – those building up to 50 homes a year – play a vital role in meeting the increasing demand for new homes. However, this important sector of the house-building industry is in decline and facing a number of significant challenges.

This report provides an update to the NHBC Foundation’s 2014 report Improving the prospects for small house builders and developers (NF57), allowing comparisons to be drawn with the current state of the sector. It explores the reasons for the decline and examines the factors that are currently limiting business growth, pinpointing those areas of the planning process that require improvement and highlighting the need for improved access to smaller, viable sites.