A shortage of council planning officers is stopping small builders putting up new homes, according to the Federation of Master Builders.
Inadequate resourcing of planning was ranked as the biggest barrier to development, in the FMB’s annual survey. On a scale of one to five, it was rated as 4.18 by 78% of respondents.
Council planning budgets have been cut by 43% since 2009.
Only 11% reported a high or very high degree of certainty in obtaining planning permission.
