The number of planning permissions granted for new homes in the three months to June dropped 23% on last year, standing at just 25,000. <br> <br> The figures come from HBF’s latest Housing Pipeline report compiled by Glenigan. They show 25,171 residential planning permissions were granted in Q2 of 2011, the second lowest number in a quarter in the past five years. The number is 24% down on the first quarter and 23% down on last year. <br> <br> “These new figures paint a bleak picture,” said HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley. “We already have an acute housing crisis. Today’s extremely low figures will only make things worse in the short term.” <br> <br> NHBC figures meanwhile reveal that private sector new home registrations were up 16% between May and July 2011 against the same period last year. But NHBC ceo Imtiaz Farookhi warned that whilst the number of overall new home registrations (both public and private) was on the increase, it was at a rate that was still too low to meet housing needs. <br> <br> “Given the reduction in central government funding for social housing, we will need to see an upturn in private demand if the increase …