Housing planning permissions in England are down to a three year low, according to the Home Builders Federation's latest Housing Pipeline report.<br> <br> Approvals for 24,872 homes were granted in Q2 2012, the lowest permission rate since 2009, and a significant fall on the previous quarter (36,761) as well as on the same period in 2011 (25,171).<br> <br> HBF said that Q2's approvals were well under half the level granted in the same quarter in 2007, at 55,466. <br> <br> Meanwhile, fears that the latest changes to the planning system will cause more delay were allayed by DCLG's director of planning.<br> <br> Speaking at HBF's planning conference last month, Shona Dunn said: "Some have suggested that we're throwing the planning system back in the air and abandoning changes. These measures have a clear role in progressing the government's plan for planning reform. They move forward to implementation. Simplification isn't something you do once."<br> <br> She described the new planning measures as "muscular localism".<br> <br> But she added that the housebuilding industry had its part to play. "You need to invest time in making local authorities and planners understand the economic benefits of development. This is obvious but sometimes a connection …