Planning permissions for house building continue to fall according to the latest quarterly assessment of activity in England, Scotland and Wales produced for the Home Builders Federation.
Its Housing Pipeline report for the fourth quarter of 2010, just published, highlighted a third successive quarterly fall which left permissions at less than half the rate being granted four years ago.
The report showed that across Great Britain some 33,000 homes were approved for construction in the last three months of 2010 – nine per cent down on the previous quarter and 22 per cent down on a year ago. Social housing was hardest hit with only 5,500 approvals - a new low for the survey.
The new Housing Pipeline report showed that through 2010 there was a steady fall in permissions granted to developers for new homes in England, with a drop from over 40,000 in Q1 to under 30,000 in Q4.
HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley said. "These figures are extremely concerning. A reduction in permissions granted now will see fewer homes built in future years, exacerbating the already acute housing shortage we are currently experiencing.”
The report, compiled by Glenigan for HBF, is the second of what will be quarterly monitoring.
Download the Housing Pipeline report.
Roger Milne
24 February 2011
