Small to medium housebuilders are putting up more homes on brownfield sites, says a survey by a development finance house.

The study by Wolsey Securities showed that 95% of developments in the study were on previously used sites.

This is a sharp increase on the 83% recorded last year. Government statistics show that just over 70% of all new housing is being developed on brownfield sites.

Mike Ratcliffe, the chief executive of Wolsey, said: 鈥淲hat these findings show is that small developers can utilise brownfield sites with greater success than many larger builders who like to roll out national house types.

One-off solutions for the unique characteristics of small in-fill sites are not their business.鈥�

He added that development had been prevented on many sites in towns and cities because they were in the green belt.

A Wolsey spokesman said small and medium housebuilders faced increasing competition from volume firms for greenfield sites.

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