Moves to cut red-tape by streamlining housing standards would be a major boost to Britain’s small and medium-sized house builders, and will help to increase the supply and choice of new homes says industry comentators.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) yesterday outlined plans to phase out the Code for Sustainable Homes as part of a shake up of house building codes and standards.

The housing standards review is part of an intended streamlining of codes and standards and could involve removing the Code for Sustainable Homes and using building regulations or a new set of national standards as the main guide for improvement in energy efficient housing.

The government said that it proposes to wind down the role of the Code. It intends to set up transitional arrangements to ensure that contractual commitments under the Code for Sustainable Homes can be properly covered.

The government is also considering introducing a national minimum space standard for new build homes.

The move, proposed as part of a consultation on a wider review of housing standards by the DCLG could see the government introduce a minimum space standard for new build homes that would be used by all local authorities.

Beatrice Orchard, Head of Communications at the Federation of Master Builders, said: “The proliferation of an array of local, national and voluntary standards has added unnecessary complexity and cost to the house building industry in recent decades. These costs have a disproportionate impact on smaller firms and smaller developments. It is essential we continue to bear down on unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy, to encourage more SME developers to bring new homes to market.”