Brexit link claim over housebuilding is

BREXIT uncertainty is causing a slowdown in new houses being built in Swansea, according to a council report which is being disputed by a home builders’ group.

The planning department’s report said developers had put schemes on hold or scaled down their building activities.

“In recent years new house build completions remain down by around a third of the average for the past decade,” it said.

But the Home Builders Federation (HBF), which represents the sector, said the absence of a local development plan in Swansea was a big factor.

The council is trying to finalise a new local development plan (LDP) for the 2010 to 2025 period but the process has been slow.

Mark Harris, HBF’S planning and policy adviser for Wales, said it was fundamental to have a plan in place setting out how many, and where, homes are to be built.

“The report misses one of the main factors limiting housing supply, namely Swansea’s failure to put a local development plan in place,” he said.

“The continued failure of Swansea to get a plan adopted has led to ongoing uncertainty for builders and residents and is preventing housing sites coming forward.

“We need to see the plan adopted early next year as planned.”

This is the timetable the council is working towards, but the LDP must be approved by the Welsh Government first.

The authority needs to increase its three-year housing land supply, and has taken steps to address this by telling developers that applications would be prioritised for LDP sites and schemes which delivered lots of affordable housing.

The planning report said this had led to five big applications being approved which would deliver 3,823 houses.

Council chiefs rejected the HBF’S take on the situation.

“It is entirely wrong to suggest the comparative slowdown in the rate of housing development is linked to the changeover