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Construction site working hours extended in England
Construction sites in England will be allowed to extend working hours until 9pm in residential areas and beyond that on other sites as part of the government’s plan to reopen the housing market.
The extension, which was introduced with immediate effect on Wednesday night, will allow 24-hour working “where appropriate”, the government said.
Setting out the proposals at the daily coronavirus briefing yesterday, housing secretary Robert Jenrick said that applications to extend hours “should be approved by councils unless there are very compelling reasons why this is not appropriate”.
He added: “Varied start and finish times will make it easier for sites to observe social distancing, take the pressure off public transport, like the tube in London, and keep Britain building.”
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In a written statement, Mr Jenrick said: “Local planning authorities should respond speedily and sympathetically and engage positively with applicants to find solutions.
“Local authorities should prioritise these types of applications and give early clarity on the acceptability of extended hours to developers. They should ensure that decisions are issued quickly – with the aim of doing so within 10 working days.”
The new flexibilities granted by local planning authorities should not be extended beyond 13 May 2021 and requests should not include bank holidays or Sundays, he said.
Question-and-answer guidance has been published to accompany the statement.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has produced a ‘Charter for Safe Working Practice’, which nearly 100 organisations have signed up to in order operate safely in accordance with government advice.
Extending site hours is part of a suite of measures introduced by the housing secretary to restart the housing market, which included reopening estate agent show homes and allowing viewings to take place.
It comes despite official data, released this week, which shows that construction workers are one of the professions with the highest COVID-19 death rates.
The government imposed an effective freeze on the industry in late March in a bid to help limit the spread of coronavirus.
Despite Mr Jenrick’s decision to unfreeze the English housing market after nearly two months, the devolved authorities in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have all said that they were keeping restrictions in place.
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