Findings by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has revealed that among those who have bought a home in the past five years, 36% said they were ‘very satisfied’ with the quality of their new-build home when purchased from a SME housebuilder, compared to the 17% whose home was built by one of the top 20 large builders.

Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said: “There is a popular misconception that new-build homes are poor quality compared to period properties that were built to last.

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“Small local housebuilders who hang their hat on delivering high-quality new-build homes find this view immensely frustrating.

“If we are to improve the image of the housebuilding sector, all housebuilders, large and small, need to put quality at the heart of every project.

“Not only will this make our industry more attractive to new entrants – including children and young people – it will soften planning committees to the prospect of new developments.

“We are in the midst of a serious housing crisis and, in order to win people over and make them more pro-development, we need to deliver fantastic new homes that local people would be proud to have built in their community.”