Planning permissions for new sites fell to a “new low” in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Home Builders Federation, with consents for new homes during the past 12 months reaching only 58% of the government’s annual target. HBF’s latest Housing Pipeline report, based on data from Glenigan, reveals that in Q1 2026, only 1,220 sites for private housing achieved planning approval across England, the lowest since the series began in 2006. This compares to around 2,000 in 2022 and almost 3,000 in 2017.