A vote to leave the EU would clear the way for housebuilding in Kent, according to one of the county’s developers.

John Elliott, managing director of Tonbridge-based Millwood Designer Homes, said Brexit would clear away much red tape which has held back property schemes across the country.

“Our housing market is home grown and many initiatives set by EU law are detrimental to us,” said Mr Elliott, whose company has developments in St Mary’s Platt, near Borough Green, and Southfleet, near Gravesend.

He attacked rules which halt developments if certain species are discovered on proposed sites.
He said: “Under the EU Habitats Directive there are particular constraints for the building of new homes.

“Firstly, the mere hint on a site of great crested newts, which are prolific in the South East of England, can delay the building start for many months.

“However, in Northern Europe the crested newt is rare and is given special protection.

“This regulation to suit Europe has an unnecessary impact on the UK. If they are found, they have to be ‘translocated’ and caught and taken somewhere else for release.”

Last month, Chancellor George Osborne claimed house prices would fall by nearly a fifth if the nation voted to leave in the EU referendum on Thursday, June 23.

He said the value of an average house in Britain could drop by over £50,000 within two years, compared to what it would have been if the UK remained.

New Ash Green-based housebuilder Bovis Homes told shareholders it was “trading well with positive market conditions” in an update last month, adding that the EU referendum “has had no discernible impact on our business with strong demand across all our operating areas”.

Barratt Developments, which owns Sevenoaks-based developer Ward Homes, made no mention of the upcoming vote in a note ahead of its AGM a day later, where it said market conditions “remain strong with ongoing good levels of demand for new homes”.