Quantum Development Finance and HBF Host House of Commons Roundtable on SME Housebuilder Viability

‍Highlights

• Quantum Development Finance and the Home Builders Federation (HBF) co-hosted a roundtable at the House of Commons, bringing together leading SME housebuilders
• Session sponsored by Mike Reader MP, Chair of the Built Environment All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)
• Discussion focused on development viability, the financial impact of planning delays, and the need to stimulate the sales market
• Attendees represented a broad cross-section of the SME housebuilding sector, collectively responsible for thousands of new homes annually

Quantum Development Finance (QDF) and the Home Builders Federation (HBF) jointly hosted a roundtable discussion at the House of Commons, convening a group of SME housebuilders to raise the most pressing challenges facing the sector with parliamentarians. The session was sponsored by Mike Reader MP, Chair of the Built Environment All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).

The discussion centred on three interconnected issues that continue to constrain housing delivery by smaller builders: development viability, the financial burden imposed by planning delays, and the need for targeted measures to stimulate the sales market. Participants highlighted the disproportionate impact these factors have on SMEs, which play a vital role in diversifying housing supply but operate with significantly fewer resources than large volume housebuilders.

Planning delays in particular were identified as an often-overlooked financial risk for SME developers. Unlike larger businesses with the capacity to absorb extended timescales, smaller housebuilders face acute cost pressures when planning processes overrun - affecting land financing, construction programmes, and ultimately the viability of schemes that could otherwise contribute meaningfully to local housing supply.

The roundtable reflects QDF’s ongoing commitment to advocating for the SME housebuilding sector beyond its role as a lender. By helping to bring the challenges of smaller builders to the attention of policymakers, QDF and the HBF aim to contribute to the meaningful, structural change needed to support sustainable housing delivery across England.

‍Attending Organisations

The roundtable was attended by representatives from the following SME housebuilders:

• Antler Homes Plc
• Bargate Homes
• Esquire Developments
• Fruition Properties
• Greencore Homes
• P.J. Livesey Group
• Quinn Estates
• Shanly Homes
• Wheeldon Brothers Ltd
• Woodstock Homes