Housebuilders told they can keep sites open till 9pm

Housebuilders will be able to keep construction sites open until at least 9pm in residential areas in order to keep building during the coronavirus pandemic.

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick (pictured, right) issued a ministerial statement earlier today which instructed local authorities to permit requests to extend site opening hours – usually controlled by planning permissions – unless there are “very compelling reasons” to reject them.

However, the news came as Jenrick was criticised by planners for not heeding calls from the profession and developers to extend the duration of planning permissions.

Jenrick said the flexibility on site working hours would mean that sites should usually be allowed to stay open until 9pm on weekdays and Saturday where requested, but that Sunday and Bank Holiday working should not be permitted.

Outside of residential areas, Jenrick said that extending working hours beyond this, including allowing 24 hour working where necessary, “may be justified”.

The flexibility comes after housebuilders and contractors told the government that extended site hours were necessary if construction sites were to reach anything close to normal rates of productivity while keeping to social distancing guidelines. The requirement for social distancing means that far fewer staff are able to be on site at any given time, while the government has also told employers to stagger workers’ hours where possible in order to reduce congestion on public transport.

The news follows the government’s decision yesterday to restart the housing market, with guidance issued today allowing most home sales to once again proceed.

Jenrick said: “with immediate effect, local planning authorities should take a swift and positive approach to requests from developers and site operators for greater flexibility around construction site working hours.”

He said that this was to make sure that planning conditions were “not a barrier to allowing developers the flexibility necessary to facilitate the safe operation of construction sites during the response to the covid-19 pandemic.”

The flexibility over working hours has been welcomed by the industry, and comes as part of a package of minor planning reforms designed to help the industry during the pandemic, such as allowing digital consultations on planning applications.

However, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) hit out at the government’s failure to address its request that existing permissions in danger of expiring during lockdown be extended, because of the multiple difficulties for developers to get on site to start work.

Usually planning applications expire after three years if significant work on site has not yet started, forcing developers to bear the time and cost of applying again for the same scheme. Both planners and developers have argued for the government to make this change – the equivalent of which has already been brought in in Scotland – which is thought to require primary legislation.

The chief executive of the RTPI, Victoria Hills, said: “We remain concerned that the issue of planning permissions due to expire during the lockdown has not yet been addressed. We have repeatedly called for this to be urgently addressed and repeat that call now.”