Brexit has positives and negatives for construction

Britain’s decision to leave the EU will directly affect the building of new homes as may construction workers come from other countries. Red tape however, will be reduced.

Britain’s decision to leave the EU will directly affect the building of new homes as may construction workers come from other countries. Red tape however, will be reduced.

In general, Brexit seems to have mixed consequences on the building industry. One down side is that a lot of the construction workers currently employed in builds across the UK actually come from another EU country.

On the bright side however, the UK’s newfound independence means that builders will now be free of the red tape that has held up construction projects in the past.

Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders said: “It is now the Government’s responsibility to ensure that the free-flowing tap of migrant workers from Europe is not turned off. If ministers want to meet their house building and infrastructure objectives, they have to ensure the new system of immigration is responsive to the needs of industry. “

He simultaneously thinks that more effort has to be put into training up more British people to learn the skills necessary to succeed in the construction industry, through apprenticeship training.

“We need to train more construction apprentices so we are not overly reliant on migrant workers from Europe or further afield. That’s why it’s so important the Government gets the funding framework right for apprenticeships.”

However, John Elliott, managing director of Millwood Designer Homes, is looking forward to a fresh, new construction industry in the wake of a Brexit.  “I am excited to get on with the New World and see the back of EU laws which have been detrimental to us for over 40 years.” he said.

"One of the UK’s biggest assets is our home grown housing market and this will now be much better off out of EU regulation. For many years, the EU Habitats Directive has had an unnecessary impact on house building," he explained.

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