BMF members account for approx. £928 million annual sales, employ more than 3,000 people, and trade from 280 locations in Wales.
The Welsh Senedd and Welsh Government have devolved responsibilities for:
- economic development
- climate change, net zero & energy-efficiency
- education, training & skills
- manufacturing
- construction & infrastructure
- transport
- housing & planning
- water & flood defence
Collaboration
The BMF is a member of the Wales Construction Federation Alliance, an industry collective of trade associations, employers’ federations and professional bodies that represent Welsh companies active today in the construction, house-building & property RMI markets. https://www.cewales.org.uk/latest-news/now-get-out/
The BMF also participates in the Welsh Construction Forum, a joint private-public sector initiative that brings together government, construction and social partners. The aim is to support the foundational economy in Wales to ‘build back better’ for a greener, zero carbon economy - and to develop the low-carbon skills that Wales needs. https://businesswales.gov.wales/welsh-construction-forum
Government
In February 2025, the Welsh Minister for Housing & Local Government visited Robert Price Builders Merchants to learn how merchants help customers to equip themselves in the low- and zero-carbon techniques and applications necessary on the road to net zero by 2050.
Jane Bryant, MS for Newport West, toured the Sustainable Energy Centre and met branch staff who explained the range of materials and products featured there - including roof-integrated solar tiles; thermal insulating paints & coatings; solar panel battery storage; and the latest heat pumps.
Ms Bryant recognised an urgent need to help Welsh builders & contractors - as well as housing associations - to educate themselves on the low- and zero-carbon options available via BMF members.
In July 2023, the BMF took part in a regional development conference in Cardiff City Hall - at which the leaders of Swansea Council (Cllr Rob Stewart), Newport Council (Cllr Jane Mudd) and Cardiff Council (Cllr Huw Thomas) were the main speakers. How to improve the economic performance and future potential of Wales’ three largest cities was the topic up for discussion among local authority and business leaders.
Collectively, these 3 cities account for 7% of Wales’ land area but (at least) one-third of the population. But success in these cities comes at a cost to towns & villages further away because South-East Wales is where businesses and foreign direct investment wants to go. These cities want to build more council housing - and if possible - build new homes to the Passivhaus standard.
Current Topics
Heat Strategy
In July 2024, the Welsh Government published a response to its consultation and confirmed its new Heat Strategy for net zero heat in Wales by 2050.
For homes and commercial buildings, ministers have concluded that heat pumps will be the solution for many. There is no property type, or architectural era, that is unsuitable for a heat pump. A target has been set to install 580,000 heat pumps in Wales by 2035. But according to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, only 5,800 heat pumps for central heating were sold in Wales in 2023, compared to approx. 80,000 gas boilers.
Taxpayer-funded support such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and Warm Homes Programme are mentioned - as is the Optimised Retrofit Programme for ‘whole house retrofitting’ in social housing, that some of our members have participated in and support through their merchant branches. Ministers will consult on banning fossil fuel heating in new build - and in existing dwellings at the point of replacement - perhaps to come into force sometime between 2025 and 2035. If you wish to read the 86-page Strategy, and its accompanying 30-page Action Plan, they can be found here.
Timber Industrial Strategy
In April 2025, the Welsh Government consulted on a draft Timber Strategy to deliver the priorities set out in “Woodland for Wales”, the 50-year overarching strategy for the Welsh timber industry.
This draft strategy set out six priorities including (a) increasing timber supply (b) resource efficiency & the circular economy and (c) instilling confidence in demand and developing capacity. The 41-page document is here, although the consultation closed on 16 April.
The BMF agrees that more use should be made of timber in house-building - not least due to its carbon qualities & benefits that are well-documented. But the Welsh Government ought to be wary - and not become caught up in the ‘timber vs masonry’ arguments. The watch-word is “additionally” because we want to see more homes of all types & tenures built in Wales. We await the formal government response in due course.
Electric Vehicle Charge Points
The Welsh Government has consulted on amendments to the Building Regulations to require the installation of EV charge-points to new and existing buildings. The main proposals are:
Residential
- every new home (including those resulting from a change of use) with a car parking space must have an EV charge-point of (at least) 7kW output.
- every residential building, with 10 or more car parking spaces, must have a charge-point in every car parking space.
- residential buildings undergoing major renovation, of the car park or electrical infrastructure, with more than 10 parking spaces, must have an EV charge-point in each car parking space.
Non-Residential
- all new non-residential buildings, with more than 10 parking spaces, must have a minimum of one charge-point - and cable routes must be fitted in 1 in 5 of the total number of spaces.
- all non-residential buildings undergoing major renovation, with more than 10 parking spaces after renovation, must have a minimum of one charge-point and cable routes fitted in 1 in 5 spaces.
Ministers acknowledge this will necessitate significant grid upgrades which will be costly for the developer. Therefore, when the cost is exceptionally high, and likely to make developments unviable, only cable routes should be provided. In addition, some cases of material change of use could trigger a need for a new power supply to the car park, restricting the creation of new dwellings. To avoid this, the Welsh Government do not intend for the requirements to trigger the need for a new power supply.
The 30-page consultation is here, although the consultation closed on 29 November 2024.
Your first point-of-contact is David Harding on (01686) 640630 or [email protected].