Developers urge Labour to cut red tape and boost housebuilding

The government has been urged to slash red tape and boost housebuilding in the UK as the rate of construction of new homes falls well behind Labour s own targets.  A group of property and investment leaders have handed a set of proposals to the government which they say will get stalled housing schemes moving and tackle the burden of building regulation. The proposals, led by King’s Cross developer Related Argent and the Institute of Directors, come as housebuilders including Taylor Wimpey and Berkeley warn that building in London is becoming increasingly unviable. Tom Goodall, chief executive director of Related Argent, said: “It costs more to build a home in Bristol than in Paris, Los Angeles or Sydney. “The bricks, steel and concrete are not fundamentally different here; what compounds the cost is the time, complexity and regulatory burden involved in getting homes built.” The proposals, which were also developed by experts from the Building Safety Regulator, the m