House building permissions have risen to pass 200,000 units a year for the first time since 2008, partly driven by the Help to Buy equity scheme, although building remains at crisis levels.
The Home Builder’s Federation (HBF) figures show a 19% rise with 52,167 permissions in Q1 this year, although RICS estimates the shortfall at 130,000 builds a year to fight the acknowledged housing crisis.
The statistics show 203,810 permissions were granted in the 12 months to April, which is the highest ‘four quarter’ total since early 2008.
The HBF said the lengthy approvals process and lack of land to build on is holding back the industry’s ability to match increasing demand. The Government’s Productivity Plan released earlier this month – and this week’s Witten Ministerial Statement on planning – should help but local authorities, which have been locally charged with new homes delivery must step up to the challenge, said the HBF.
“Increasing housing delivery will provide the high quality homes our next generation needs, support thousands of companies up and down the land and create tens of thousands of jobs,” said Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the HBF.
Yesterday, a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Housing and Planning was announced to be chaired by James Cartlidge, Conservative MP for South Suffolk.
The group, supported by RICS, is tasked with recommending wide-ranging, innovative solutions to reshape the housing market and find solutions to the annual building shortfall of 130,000 homes.
Victoria Hartley is contributing editor at Mortgage Solutions, Specialist Lending Solutions, Your Money and Your Mortgage at London-based publishing company AE3 Media.
She has an MA in Radio from Goldsmiths after gaining a 2:1 in a Comparative American Studies BA at Warwick University. She also holds a TEFL qualification and taught overseas in Mexico and Japan from 1994 to 1997.
Her role includes editorial oversight of the news, analysis and features, event content management and strategic and editorial consultancy for the AE3 Media group. She is an experienced video, broadcast and live-event host and regularly chairs web and podcast debates and interviews.
Multiple award nominations have resulted in two wins: Santander Media Awards, trade journalist of the year and Headlinemoney Awards, mortgage journalist of the year (B2B). Here is one of the award-winning pieces: https://www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk/news/2011/07/21/exclusive-tale-bailey-fraud-witness/
Previous roles include editorships of Mortgage Solutions, consumer title What Mortgage and trade title Credit Today as well as a stint freelancing for a variety of outlets including The Guardian and Which? Money.