Far from dampening activity, since sprinklers became mandatory in Wales housebuilding has increased.

In January 2016 the requirement for new housing in Wales to have sprinklers took effect. Statistics published by the Welsh government show that, “During 2016-17, the number of new dwellings started increased by 2 per cent compared to the previous year to 6,871 dwellings. This is the second highest annual number recorded since the start of the recession in 2007-08.”

During the long campaign to introduce the Welsh regulation, housebuilders frequently claimed that it would destroy housebuilding activity in Wales. We always argued this was not so because the cost of a sprinkler system is relatively modest and about the same as the monthly movement in house prices. Now the evidence shows we were right.