Worrying signs for construction as housing and RMI output fall, says FMB

CONCERNING dips in housing and repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) output in November prompted stagnant overall output for the construction industry, according to January’s ONS stats, which is a worrying sign not just for the nation’s small, local builders, says Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Private house building, and repair and maintenance work are the backbone of local builders’ businesses, so these falls in output signal a worrying winter for the sector. Likely prompted by consumers tightening their belts in the face of cost-of-living pressures, the falls in the ONS data reflect the FMB’s latest State of Trade survey which recorded declining enquiries for the first time in a decade. We know that a lack of viable land, a complicated planning system and a shortage of skilled workers are hitting SME house builders hard.”

Berry continued: “In the run-up to the Budget I urge the Government to support local building firms with policies that boost demand and reduce costs.

“One of the best ways to support the RMI sector is through the introduction of a National Retrofit Strategy to improve the energy efficiency of the nation’s leaky homes, which would create more jobs across the UK and, as set out so clearly in the Net Zero Review by Conservative MP Chris Skidmore, will deliver economic growth.

“We also need to see significant reform to the planning system to ensure housing developments don’t languish in the cumbersome planning system, which is holding back SME house builders from achieving their potential.”

Major improvement works to begin at Leicester’s busy FiveWays junction

A MAJOR programme of improvements to one of Leicester’s ‘most confusing’ junctions and its connecting roads starts this month.

Leicester City Council is planning a major redevelopment of the A50/ FiveWays junction, in north west Leicester, to help make it safer for all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, and improve the busy route for buses.

As part of the project, the council will completely redesign and overhaul the busy FiveWays junction which links Blackbird Road, Woodgate, Fosse Road North, Groby Road and Buckminster Road.

Work will be carried out in phases to help minimise disruption, and the overall project is expected to be complete by spring 2024.

The first phase of work will involve narrowing its junctions with Blackbird Road and Colwell Road; the installation of a new raised table on Colwell Road to improve safety for people walking and riding bikes; and existing car parking on verges close to the shops on Buckminster Road will be removed. New landscaping will also be introduced.

This initial phase of work is expected to take around six to eight weeks during which time a lane restriction will be required on part of Blackbird Road, and Buckminster Road will be closed to through traffic. Local diversions will be in place.

The current experimental road closure on Buckminster Road will also be removed at the start of the FiveWays redevelopment work, and a review and surveys will be carried out after the highway works are completed to fully understand the impact of the new junction on traffic flow on Buckminster Road and surrounding streets.