New home planning permissions a paltry 25,000

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by Gill Montia

Figures from the Home Builders’ Federation (HBF) show the number of residential planning permissions granted in England falling to just 25,000 in the second quarter of 2011, when around 60,000 homes per quarter are needed to meet the country’s housing shortfall.

Planning permission approvals for new homes have been sliding noticeably since the middle of last year, at a time when fewer dwellings are being built in England than at any time since the 1920s.

The trade body therefore claims that the latest figures put recent disputes over planning policy into perspective.

According to the HBF: “What should have been a sensible debate into the most important planning changes since WWII, has been hijacked by sensationalist and inaccurate claims from a number of anti-growth organisations determined to fight all and any development.”

The body’s executive chairman, Stewart Baseley, comments: “We already have an acute housing crisis that is affecting the quality of life of families, young and old, across the country and the economy.”

He adds: “Government must stand firm … if it doesn’t, the social and economic implications will be felt for generations.”