{"id":770108,"date":"2025-01-10T10:27:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T10:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=770108"},"modified":"2025-01-10T10:27:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T10:27:36","slug":"planning-approvals-for-housing-hit-record-low-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/planning-approvals-for-housing-hit-record-low-in-2024","title":{"rendered":"Planning approvals for housing hit record low\u00a0in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just 2,260 sites were approved between July and September (Q3) last year, marking the lowest quarterly total since HBF reporting began in 2006.<\/p>\n

A rolling annual total of 10,180 sites approved also represented a record low, according to the HBF.<\/p>\n

The trade association, which published the Glenigan-gathered data in a housing pipeline report<\/a> this week, says the all-time low in Q3 of 2024 was symptomatic of a \u2018continued downward trend\u2019 in planning approvals, which fell 10 per cent between the second and third quarters of the year.<\/p>\n

Although there was a slight increase in the number of actual housing units approved in Q3 compared with Q2 \u2013 creeping up by 2 per cent to 57,356 \u2013 the total was still 40 per cent lower than the highest-ever peak.<\/p>\n

The decline was most pronounced in the North East, Yorkshire & the Humber and the West Midlands, with housing planning approvals plummeting by 61 per cent, 49 per cent, and 55 per cent respectively.<\/p>\n

London and a handful of other regions saw slight increases, but approvals remained \u2018far below historic levels\u2019, according to the HBF.<\/p>\n

Based on the data, approvals would need to increase by more than 150 per cent in order for the government to meet its annual housebuilding target of 370,000 homes, the organisation has said.<\/p>\n

Separate BBC analysis<\/a> published yesterday (9 January) found that some local authorities in England would need to see \u2018at least a five-fold increase in new housing\u2019 in order to meet their government targets.<\/p>\n

Across England, 16 local authorities have been set targets that are 400 per cent or more of what they have recently delivered, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n

Responding to the stark statistics, the HBF has declared an \u2018urgent need for targeted interventions to address the decline in planning approvals\u2019. It describes government changes to the NPPF as \u2018encouraging\u2019 but says swift action is now needed to \u2018streamline the planning process, tackle regional imbalances, and ensure the necessary infrastructure for new developments\u2019.<\/p>\n

HBF chief executive Neil Jefferson described the continued decline in housing planning approvals as \u2018deeply concerning\u2019.<\/p>\n

He said the \u2018significant\u2019 regional discrepancies \u2018highlight the need for targeted interventions that not only speed up planning processes but also provide clear support for both developers and homebuyers\u2019.<\/p>\n

Jefferson added: \u2018The lack of affordable housing is impacting communities across the country and, without a stable demand for new homes, the industry lacks the confidence to invest in building the homes that are desperately needed.\u2019<\/p>\n

Despite the record-low approval rates, there was a slight uptick in on-site construction starts in the final quarter of 2024 (Q4), according to separately -published Glenigan data.<\/p>\n

Residential construction starts increased by 7 per cent between October and December, compared with the preceding three months, according to Glenigan\u2019s January 2025 construction index \u2013 although this was still 3 per cent lower than 2023 figures.<\/p>\n

On-site starts on social housing performed poorly on both counts, falling 1 per cent between Q3 and Q4, and plummeting by 17 per cent compared to the final quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just 2,260 sites were approved between July and September (Q3) last year, marking the lowest quarterly total since HBF reporting began in 2006. A rolling annual total of 10,180 sites approved also represented a record low, according to the HBF. The trade association, which published the Glenigan-gathered data in a housing pipeline report this week, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138919,"featured_media":672603,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[681],"tags":[2486,1155,1489,2773],"yoast_head":"\nPlanning approvals for housing hit record low\u00a0in 2024<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has warned of an \u2018urgent need for targeted interventions\u2019 after planning approvals for housing plummeted to a record low\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/planning-approvals-for-housing-hit-record-low-in-2024\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" 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