18 COMMENT


we will have to see more detail before we can feel confi dent that chane is coin


STATE OF THE MARKET The latest State of Trade survey from the FMB provides a look into the market for micro and small builders. As with many other trackers, we have seen that work- loads and enquiries have dropped in the third quarter of 2023, with workloads continuing their decline since earlier this year. In late November the FMB launched its annual House Builders’ Survey, a comprehensive overview of micro and SME house builders. Planning was unsur- risinly identifi ed as the biest barrier holding back housing delivery. As noted many times before, a very ambitious and pragmatic political agenda will be the only solution to unblocking the byzantine planning system.


took part in a panel discussion with the Metro Mayor for the West of England Dan Norris, where he spoke about the plans which Sir Keir Starmer announced to Get Britain Building Again – with a particular- ly interesting exploration of the potential ‘grey belt.’


So, what is the so-called grey belt, in essence the poor-quality bits of land that have fallen under the protection of


the green belt – bits of scrubland and brownfi eld sites that would be better served with houses built on them. These sites are far from the oak forests and lush fi elds that any iaine when soeone mentions the green belt. I am keen to see how this plays out, as this very emotive issue has restricted sensible and sustain- able development for too long. The early words from Sir Keir sound promising, but


WHAT DOES A NEW YEAR BRING? With a General Election somewhere on the horizon, the FMB will be publishing its own manifesto for the industry, setting out the key tasks that our members will want to see prioritised by the next govern- ment. We will be working hard between now and the election to champion the issues that matter most to the nation’s small house builders. It promises to be an exciting, if not bumpy, year ahead.


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