England's Homes agency denies allegations of land hoarding
In a concerning development for the UK's housing market, the number of housing projects granted planning permissions has plummeted to record lows, according to a report by the Home Builders Federation (HBF).
The first three months of 2023 saw a 20% reduction in the number of projects approved compared to the same period last year, with only 3,037 housing projects given the green light. This figure marks the lowest quarterly figure on record since the data set began in 2006.
The government-owned housing agency, Homes England, has enough land for approximately 279,000 housing plots. However, the land held by Homes England, equivalent to 9,000 hectares, remains unbuilt upon. Of the additional 4,990 hectares, 55,000 newly constructed properties are expected to be delivered within the next five years.
Stewart Beasley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, attributed this decrease to the government's capitulation to the nimby lobby on planning. He claimed that over the last four years, ministers have failed to intervene on Natural England's disproportionate ban on new homes. Beasley said that the ban disregards the findings of the government's own evidence and represents a major misdirection of effort and resources.
Last week, Homes England stated that 3,000 hectares of the land has already been built on, delivering 50,000 homes. To ensure the continued pace of house building, Homes England has disposed of around 3,000 hectares of land under a land lease.
However, Homes England denies the claim of land banking and refutes the figures being stated. The agency enables the right homes to be built in the right places, many of which are affordable.
The government pledged to build 300,000 new homes in 2019, a target it has yet to achieve. The decrease in planning permissions could hamper the government's efforts to meet this goal. Beasley warned that this trend could lead to a housing shortage and increased house prices, exacerbating the UK's affordability crisis.
In response to these concerns, the government must address the issues surrounding planning permissions and work towards increasing the number of approved projects. This will be crucial in ensuring the delivery of affordable homes and meeting the government's housing targets.
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