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Longer construction site hours extended to September
Measures introduced in May 2020 to extend construction site working hours during the pandemic will last until 30 September, the government has said.
Announcing the extension, housing secretary Robert Jenrick said that the construction industry will “need to continue to operate in a safe and productive way” and that the measures have helped to reduce pressure on public transport during the pandemic.
Under the measures, construction sites in England can stay open until 9pm in residential areas and operate 24-hour working in some instances.
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The extended hours were part of a range of measures introduced by the government last May, aimed at restarting the housing market, following widespread construction site closures in response to the pandemic.
Mr Jenrick said: “Temporary extensions to working hours were introduced over the last year on some sites to facilitate safer working and allow tasks to be completed where social distancing can be challenging.
“These changes have also helped to protect and support jobs in the construction industry and reduced pressures on public transport at peak hours throughout the pandemic.”
He said maintaining flexibility is necessary because of the continued impact of COVID-19 and the need to help the construction industry recover and operate safely as the country emerges from the pandemic. He added that the date will be kept under review.
Mr Jenrick also urged local planning authorities to continue to take a “positive and flexible” approach to planning enforcement action.
