The housebuilding and construction sectors continue to be key in the government’s growth plans. The hope is that building more houses in the most productive parts of the country will generate growth benefits by enabling these areas to expand. This will allow more people access to higher-wage and higher-productivity jobs.
National Planning and Policy Framework (NPPF)
Back in December 2024 the government implemented a reform to the NPPF to increase housebuilding in England. The main changes were re introducing mandatory housing targets and a modernised Green Belt policy to bring low quality grey belt land in scope of development. The new NPPF is estimated to increase annual housebuilding by c30% by 2029 – 2030.
Construction industry skills
The government aims to build 1.5 million new homes in England through the life of this parliament and has expressed the importance of boosting skills in construction in the process. The government is committing £625 million in England to boost existing training routes to improve construction-related skills, to ensure a sustainable flow of skilled workers and support employers to invest in training. This is expected to deliver 60,000 additional skilled workers.
The government is keen to work closely with the industry to remove barriers and increase investment in training, particularly for small businesses, which can struggle to recruit and retain apprentices. There was a pledge to make £80million available to deliver bespoke training.
Building Safety Levy
From 1 October 2026 and subject to certain exemptions, any new residential developments in England will incur the Building Safety Levy. Monies raised will be spent on building safety. There has already been a consultation on this policy, which has helped design suitable exemptions for, for example, affordable housing. There are various rates for different local authority areas AVAILABLE HERE
Stamp Duty Land Tax
It seems many first-time buyers were waiting to hear news on the stamp duty land tax reliefs, rates and the thresholds. This was not mentioned in the Spring Statement, suggesting there is not likely to be a change on this soon.
The content on our site is provided for general information only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Although we make reasonable efforts to update the information on our site, we make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content on our site is accurate, complete or up-to-date.