LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Britain's housing market is toodependent on large homebuilders, housing minister Gavin Barwellsaid on Sunday, speaking ahead of the launch of the government'slatest attempt to fix a chronic shortage of new homes.
The government has previously said it wanted to build amillion homes between 2015 and 2020 but, even with plans toincentivise developers and build 17 new towns and villages, itis behind schedule.
It will publish details of a new strategy, billed as a majorshake-up of the planning and construction system, on Tuesday.
"We desperately need more homes and we're too dependent atthe moment on a small number of large developers and we need tolook at all the things that we can do to get more peopleinvolved in building new housing," Barwell told the BBC.
Last month, Briain's biggest housebuilder Barratt said it might build fewer homes in the current financial yearand that high land prices have hit the number of propertiescompleted in London.
Persimmon, the second largest, has said it wouldcontinue to buy land for future developments but uncertaintycreated by Britain's exit from the European Union might affectits decision making.
Bovis Homes has warned on profit because it failed tocomplete the number of homes it expected at the end of 2016. (Reporting by William James; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)