The government’s target of building 300,000 homes a year by the middle of the next decade won’t be met without sweeping changes to the way the sector operates, a new survey has found.

Research by consultancy McBains reported that fewer than half of the 400-plus housebuilders polled believed ministers’ target for housebuilding by the mid-2020s can be met.

Firms were sceptical about the availability of land, the current planning system and the vexed issue of skills shortages, not least with Brexit looming at the end of next month.