Judgement rules smaller developments don’t have to make affordable homes contribution

A judgement has ruled that builders developing sites of less than 10 homes will no longer have to make an affordable homes contribution.

The Court of Appeal decision means that affordable home contributions will fall to larger developers, effectively cutting the red tape to allow work to start on smaller sites.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has said that this judgment will get more homes built more easily and commended small house builders’ the important contribution to helping meet the government target of one million new homes.

Lewis said: “We’re committed to building more homes, including record numbers of affordable homes – key to this is removing unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy that prevents builders getting on sites in the first place.

“Today’s judgment by the Court of Appeal restores common sense to the system, and ensures that those builders developing smaller sites – including self-builders - don’t face costs that could stop them from building any homes at all.

“This will now mean that builders developing sites of fewer than 10 homes will no longer have to make an affordable homes contribution that should instead fall to those building much larger developments.”