Press release

Housebuilding soars to highest levels in almost a decade

The number of new build homes that have started to be built has surged to the highest level since 2008.

From:
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and The Rt Hon Sir Alok Sharma KCMG MP
Published
24 August 2017
house building

The number of new build homes that have started to be built has surged to the highest level since 2008, as shown by figures released today (24 August 2017).

The latest housebuilding data shows that 164,960 new homes were started in the year to June 2017, up 13% on the previous year, and have increased by more than three-quarters since the low in 2009.

More than 153,000 new homes have been completed during the same period, showing an increase of 11% compared with the year before.

Housing and Planning Minister Alok Sharma said:

Building more homes is an absolute priority for this government. Today’s figures are proof that we are getting Britain building again, with new housing starts reaching record levels since 2009.

It’s vital we maintain this momentum to deliver more quality homes in the places that people want to live. Our housing white paper set out an ambitious package of long-term reforms to do just that.

The figures demonstrate strong growth in housebuilding right across the country, with Gloucestershire, South Derbyshire and South Norfolk amongst the strongest areas in delivering high levels of starts.

The government’s housing white paper sets out bold new plans to fix the broken housing market and build more homes across England.

At Autumn Statement, an additional £1.4 billion investment was announced for the government’s affordable housing programme, increasing the total budget to £7.1 billion. Since 2010, almost 333,000 affordable homes have been delivered, including 240,000 affordable homes for rent.

Further information

The House building; new build dwellings, England: June quarter 2017 statistics record the number of new build homes started and completed in England during the quarter of April to June 2017.

The figures are based on building control inspection data, submitted to the department by local authorities, the National House Building Council and independent inspectors.

A dwelling is counted as started on the date work begins on the laying of the foundation. A dwelling is regarded as complete when it becomes ready for occupation.

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Published 24 August 2017

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