The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee agreed to undertake a short inquiry into barriers facing small home building firms.

Summary

A number of reports in the last couple of years have drawn attention to the fact that Small and Medium-sized Enterprises used to build a much greater volume of new housing than has been the case in recent years.

While issues of planning are a matter for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, and housing for Equality, Local Government and Communities, the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee will look at the barriers that constrain this sector of the economy.

Terms of reference

To do this the Committee looked at the following:

• To assess the barriers facing small home building firms to include consideration of:
• The availability and effectiveness of Welsh Government (and other) support and finance for small home builders.
• The availability of a skilled construction sector workforce
• Access to suitable development sites
• The Planning system and the extent to which it actively facilitates developments by small home builders
• The dominant position of a small number of big firms
• To understand the proportion of new housing in Wales currently delivered by small home builders, to include consideration of:
• The impact of help to buy Wales
• The potential impact of increasing the proportion of new housing in Wales delivered by small home builders
• The extent to which small home builders are involved in the delivery of affordable housing (including the impact of current procurement rules)