Planning approvals fall to decade low – HBF/Glenigan

Planning approvals for new homes have fallen to a decade low, according to the Home Builders Federation’s latest Housing Pipeline Report, with the number of new site permissions also “plummeting”.

HBF’s publication for Q2 2024, with data supplied by Glenigan, reveals that just over 230,000 units have secured approval in the past 12 months – the lowest figure for any 12-month period in the last ten years, it said.

In the year ending June 2024, 10,400 sites were approved, the lowest for a 12-month period since the publication began in 2006.

This number was 10% down year-on-year and was a 7% drop on the previous quarter and a 9% decline on Q2 2023. Compared to the peak of 2008, the sites total fell 53%.

Due to the previous government’s stance on planning, HBF said that over the past two years, approval for homes and sites in England had shown a downward trend, with “record lows” seen in each quarter.

In Q2 2024, 53,379 units gained consent, the lowest quarterly figure since 2014 – a 3% quarter-on-quarter decrease and 13% down on the same quarter last year.

HBF noted regional differences in severity. London’s Q2 2024 unit …