New home planning approvals in England fall to lowest level in a decade

"The steep fall in planning permissions starkly illustrates the challenge the new government faces to boost housing supply..." Neil Jefferson, chief executive of the HBF.

"The figures show 53,379 new houses were approved...3% fewer than the previous month and 13% fewer than in the same period in 2023."

"Only 2,394 new schemes were started in the second quarter of the year, 9% below the same period in 2023 and half the number that were being built six years ago."

"Builders blame the drop on the decision by the former government to drop binding housing targets for local authorities... much more will be needed to hit the government's target of 1.5m new homes."

Read at www.theguardian.com