Planning permission for houses in England falls to document low
The variety of housing initiatives granted planning permission in England in 2024 hit a document low, in keeping with new authorities figures.
Simply over 30,000 initiatives – starting from single houses to massive housing developments – received the go forward, the bottom full-year determine since data began in 1979 and an additional fall from 2023.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has pledged to ship 1.5 million new houses earlier than the following common election and an increase in planning purposes can be one of many first optimistic indicators.
Regardless of the low, specialists stated there was optimism within the sector as a result of the federal government had “an intent to construct”, and that turning across the planning system would take time.
Labour’s plans embrace giving councils new powers to grab land and pace up constructing.
The variety of selections on housing, included these rejected, was additionally at a document low in 2024.
The figures cowl the variety of permissions granted, not the variety of particular person houses. They embrace minor initiatives of fewer than 10 houses and main initiatives of 10 or extra.
Information analysed by BBC Confirm suggests the variety of accomplished new houses additionally decreased throughout the second half of 2024.
Each council in England has been given a goal for brand new houses that they need to assist ship every year. In some areas, this implies greater than 5 instances as many new houses as they sometimes add.
You’ll be able to see the figures to your space within the BBC’s housing tracker.
Geoff Keal of Planning Portal, which is utilized by councils for individuals to use for planning permission, stated there wanted to be a “substantial” improve in planning purposes being made, to make up for purposes that get rejected and people the place no growth takes place.
However he added: “The federal government has an intent to construct and that is actually highly effective for [developers], figuring out they are going to be supported and they are going to take away blockages.
“I feel there are causes to be optimistic, for positive.”
Housing market analyst Neal Hudson, of BuiltPlace, stated: “It might probably take longer to show the planning pipeline round than a container ship, and builders are presently squeezed on either side by excessive rates of interest and constrained viability.”
Victoria Hills, chief government of the Royal City Planning Institute, stated: “These newest figures present that builders are submitting fewer purposes, considerably limiting the variety of initiatives that planners can approve.”
She stated securing planning permissions wouldn’t routinely translate into new houses, including: “The planning system is extra than simply numbers; it is about constructing high quality locations for the long run, defending nature and making certain communities can adapt to local weather change.”
The federal government stated it was bringing ahead “pro-growth” measures to repair a “damaged” planning system.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Native Authorities stated: “These figures present the size of the housing disaster we inherited together with a damaged planning system that stunted development.
“That is why we’re already bringing ahead pro-growth measures to repair this and ship the 1.5 million new houses we want, together with necessary housing targets by way of an up to date Nationwide Planning Coverage Framework and our newly launched landmark Planning and Infrastructure Invoice that may overhaul planning committees to quick observe and streamline selections.
“That is alongside a further £100m to bolster native assets with elevated planning charges to cowl prices, and funding to recruit 300 planning officers, ensuring councils have the employees and capability wanted to approve houses for native individuals.”
