 said permissions continued to fall "sharply", with home numbers approved in first the half of 2023 down 19%. If the trend continues, housing supply for England could fall to levels not seen for a decade, it added. The government said planning permission was granted for 264,000 homes in the past year. The Conservative government's 2019 manifesto promised to build 300,000 homes a year in England by the mid-2020s. The federation said the data confirmed industry warnings that in the midst of an increasingly "anti-development" policy environment and a worsening economy, the number of homes built in the coming years could fall to record low levels. About 2,456 housing projects were granted planning permission during the second quarter of 2023. This number was down 10% on the previous quarter, 20% on the same time a year ago, and was the lowest level since similar records began in 2006, according to the report. The HBF said that if the trend continued it would lead to a reduction in housing delivery of 44,000 homes a year, which would see housing supply for England fall to levels not seen for a decade. Image caption, In April, Housing Secretary Michael Gove said that the UK's housing model was broken and more homes were "desperately" needed Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the HBF, blamed the situation on an "increasingly anti-development and anti-business" policy environment, which he said has caused the "sharp fall in the number of homes being built". "The government's capitulation to the Nimby lobby on planning, its mishandling of water legislation, and - amidst a lack of mortgage availability - the lack of support for first time buyers could see housing supply drop markedly in the coming years," he said. "Fewer homes being built amidst an acute housing crisis has clear social implications, in){kind=link}
Planning permission for new houses and conversions across England has fallen to a record low, new figures suggest.
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) said permissions continued to fall “sharply”, with home numbers approved in first the half of 2023 down 19%.
If the trend continues, housing supply for England could fall to levels not seen for a decade, it added.
The government said planning permission was granted for 264,000 homes in the past year.
The Conservative government’s 2019 manifesto promised to build 300,000 homes a year in England by the mid-2020s.