Government Figures show 25% Increase in New Build Housing
DCLG has today released figures demonstrating that the number of new homes in the UK has risen by 25% over the last 12 months.
The announcement comes just two days after the Housing and Planning Bill was scrutinised by parliamentary committee. The committee is due to report back to the House of Commons next week (on 17 November 2015).
It also comes after recent reports from volume house-builder show a slowing down in the number of starts on site in the last few months (see, for example, the Guardian's report on Barratts Homes: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/nov/11/barratt-sales-rise-help-to-buy-scheme-housing-industry).
Taken together, the three announcements do suggest that the Government's attempts to boost housing numbers are starting to work; but that more may need to be done to keep momentum going. This narrative is likely to be helpful to the supporters of the Housing and Planning Bill, when it comes back to the House of Commons next week, and I would not be surprised if it came up at some point during the debates.
The number of new homes in England has risen by 25% over the past year – the highest annual percentage increase in 28 years, new figures released today show (12 November 2015).
Communities Secretary Greg Clark said it was further proof of the government’s commitment to get more homes built with 170,690 new homes last year and more than 700,000 additional homes delivered since 2010.
There has been a significant increase in the amount of new homes delivered by converting buildings into residential properties. More than 20,600 of these homes were built in 2014 to 2015 - a rise of 65% on the year before.
It comes just weeks after the government announced it would extend permitted development rights that enable offices to be converted into new homes without having to apply for planning permission.”
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