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The ability of UK construction to get anything built is being hampered by the fact that many global manufacturers of building products “now regard the UK as just too difficult to do business with, which has resulted in products being withdrawn”.
That is the warning from Construction Products Association chief executive Peter Caplehorn and Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds, in his capacity as co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council.
The two men have jointly written to Michael Gove and Grant Shapps, newly installed secretaries of state for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy respectively.
They write: “One area of initial concern we would like to draw your attention to is the decision to move from CE to UK CA marking, effective from January 2023. The Construction Products Regulations UK (CPR) were adopted into the UK from the original EU regulations as part of the Brexit negotiations. These regulations are specific to construction products, with separate provisions and definitions from the wider product regulations used in the wider economy. The CA mark and transition arrangements from CE remains unclear and the UK testing capacity has not been able to scale up to meet the demands.
“Not all products are affected but many of the most important to construction are, such as glues and sealants, glass, insulation, radiators and passive fire protection to name a few, which are all necessary to deliver the new homes, schools and hospitals the country needs.
"Approximately 28% of products are imported and half of that from the EU and therefore these products are also affected. As a result, many global manufacturers now regard the UK as just too difficult to do business with, which has resulted in products being withdrawn – impacting on the UK’s ability to deliver completed projects.
“We have previously proposed a number of solutions that can be put in place for the short and medium term, while the complexities are considered and resolved in the longer term. Therefore, we urgently ask you to consider:
- Suspend the implementation of UK CA marking for at least two years.
- Establish a joint working party between government and the construction sector to plan a transition to the new arrangements.
“Given the current business environment of significant material inflation, increased energy costs and uncertainty, we call for urgent action and intervention to assist the construction sector to remain resilient and deliver upon the current and future needs of the country.
“We welcome the opportunity to discuss the above at your earliest convenience.”
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