Planning approvals fall to 10-year low

The number of planning permissions granted in England has reached its lowest level since 2014, with only 242,610 homes approved in 2024, a 2% decrease from the previous year. It means that to meet Labour's target of 370,000 permissions, a 53% increase is necessary. Neil Jefferson, chief executive of the Home Builders Federation, commented: "The latest planning figures show that housing supply in the short and medium term is at critical crisis levels." Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to deliver 1.5m new homes over five years, but both the Home Builders Federation and the National Housing Federation believe that current reforms alone will not suffice to achieve this goal. Critics argue that commercial housebuilders are intentionally slowing down construction to control supply and prices, while the industry contends that buyer demand limits building rates. 

Financial Times (06/03/2025)   The Daily Telegraph (06/03/2025)   The Times (06/03/2025)