Lack of regulatory clarity and joined-up standards are hindering adoption at scale of modern methods of construction (MMC), a new survey suggests.
More than a third (39%) of UK timber frame manufacturers said they are building above regulations but feel ignored by policy, according to a report on the state of timber frame construction by the Structural Timber Association and Kent-based wood panel product manufacturer Medite Smartply.
Of the 80-plus timber frame manufacturers surveyed, 43% ranked fire performance as their main challenge, followed by labour (29%), and building regulations and specifications (26%).
Although manufacturers indicated their intentions to meet higher performance standards, many respondents pointed to the disconnect between policy ambition and the practical realities of delivery.
A main concern is the confusion surrounding pre-manufactured value (PMV), a metric central to many MMC funding models.
Nearly half the survey respondents declined to disclose their PMV score, pointing to unclear definitions, a lack of relevance to smaller-scale operations, or uncertainty about how the figure is even calculated.
‘Lack of clarity is knocking confidence’
The report said that although Homes England and other government programmes incentivise high PMV through funding (such as capital grants for developments achieving 55% PMV or more), there is no standardised industry process for calculation.
Roly Ward, head of business development at Medite Smartply, said: “The industry isn’t short on innovation or intention, but a lack of clarity is knocking confidence. We’re hearing a clear message from the sector: manufacturers are being asked to move fast without clear footing. That’s not sustainable.
“Fire safety is a prime example. It remains the number one challenge for almost half of respondents, yet testing regimes aren’t clearly defined, and insurers still lack confidence. That’s a risky bottleneck. If we want MMC to scale, we need regulatory clarity, joined-up standards and products that simplify the compliance journey, not complicate it further.”
