Member

The Minister also said that fees will be linked to the cost of delivering the service, preventing unfairness. The cost recovery principle may stop profiteering, but it does not guarantee fairness. The process for a 20-home scheme and a 200-home scheme is broadly the same. Both require validation, consultation, specialist reports, committee consideration, conditions, Section 106 agreements and legal sign-off—are we surprised that the numbers are dwindling?—yet the smaller developer pays several times more per home for the same service. In London, an SME housebuilder pays around £60,000 more for a one-bed first-time buyer flat than a large plc developer. On average, a 50-home scheme costs three times more than a 1,000-home scheme.