Planning permissions hit new lows – HBF/Glenigan

New home planning permissions in England fell 17% to their lowest level since 2012, with the number of sites achieving consent dropping to the lowest on record, according to the latest Housing Pipeline report.

The Home Builders Federation’s report, based on data from Glenigan, shows that during the second quarter of 2025, only 44,520 new homes were granted planning permission against the 53,806 of Q2 2024, also representing a 33% decline on the peak.

With this being the lowest quarterly figure for home permissions in 13 years, HBF said it was “another sign that weaknesses in the housing market and rising taxes on new homes continue to suppress investment in new housing sites”.

Meanwhile, just 1,410 sites were approved during the quarter in England - the tenth successive quarter of decline.

In the 12 months to June 2025, 8,200 sites gained consent. This, according to the figures, is the lowest rolling total since the Pipeline series began 20 years ago.

This yearly total also represents fewer than half of the number of sites that were granted permission during 2019.

And the rolling annual number of homes permissioned in England fell to the lowest 12-monthly level in …