Wales needs 14,000 homes a year by 2020 to tackle the housing crisis

The Federation of Master Builders claims Wales is only building around half the number of new homes required to meet the demand for housing

Wales needs an additional 14,000 homes a year over the next five years, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

The FMB says politicians and industry must collaborate to tackle the housing crisis.

It has confirmed 5,610 homes were completed in 2013 in Wales and 2,950 were completed in the first two quarters of 2014 and said the latest target is realistic and achievable if barriers are removed for small building firms.

The latest call forms part of the FMB’s “Programme for Government”, which was launched at a high profile cross-party event in Parliament yesterday (Wednesday January 28) afternoon.

The programme looks ahead to the UK General Election, but includes policy recommendations which are implementable by the Welsh Government and all devolved nations.

Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said:

“In Wales we’re still only building around half the number of new homes required to meet the demand for housing.

“Policy makers in Wales must work with industry to develop a robust housing strategy and commit to building at least 14,000 new homes a year by 2020.

“This is a realistic target and one that can be achieved if we remove barriers to small local builders.”

He added: “Most political parties now recognise the vital role of SME house builders and accept that we will never meet the demand for new homes without more of these firms building a greater proportion of our homes.

“Key issues which must be addressed in the short and medium-term include improved access to finance for small firms and increasing the number of smaller sites suitable for development by smaller scale house builders.”