Proposed regulations will hit Orkney’s building industry

A local building representative has added his voice to concerns over Scottish Government proposals to impose additional regulatory burdens on the construction industry.

There are fears that the proposals put Scotland at significant economic disadvantage in comparison to England and will intensify the country’s housing and construction crisis.

Stephen Kemp, the chairman of the Orkney branch of the Scottish Building Federation (SBF), believes the additional regulations would have a significant impact in Orkney, resulting in a substantial reduction in the number of people who can afford to build their own house.

He said: “We are already seeing substantial capital cost added to a new build home as a result of the 2010 regulatory hike and in Scotland the requirements are substantially higher than those in England.

“In a local context the next proposed hike could have a very substantial impact upon the Industry.  In Orkney we already face build costs that are 19 per cent higher than the UK average and 22 per cent higher than the Grampian and Highland regions.”

He added: “In Orkney we have amongst the lowest average income per household but amongst the highest build costs.”