The government’s housing ambition has been called into question after new data revealed it has fallen behind its target to provide new build homes.
There has been an 11% dip in the number of new build homes started between July-September 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. The findings have been released today by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
A total of 39,510 new builds were started during the quarter ending September 2019, down from 44,480 between July-September 2018.
The government has set a target of delivering a million homes in the next five years, but annual new build starts only totalled 157,550 in the year to September – a 7% decrease compared with the previous year.
While completions totalled close to 178,000 – an increase of 9% compared with the previous year – the government is not on target to meet its ambitions of 200,000 homes each year.
Jason Orme, Content Director of Homebuilding & Renovating, said of the findings: “The latest housebuilding figures show that the current housing system is not capable of delivering the homes we so badly need in the UK.”
A more positive finding from the government’s report was that the latest quarterly total of self build starts was up 2% compared with the previous three months.
Self Build: The Mainstream Housing Alternative?
Orme added: “Relying pretty much solely on private developers to build homes will always result in a constriction of supply and resulting higher prices. It’s only when radical change allows individuals to be masters of their own housing choices that significant growth will come.”
(MORE: Read Jason’s The Year of Self Build blog)
Self building your own home offers several benefits compared to buying a home: it can be tailored to your needs, preferences and budget, and can often help you get more value for money.
Despite the government’s struggles in meeting its homebuilding targets, another encouraging statistic revealed that the 46,000 new build homes that were completed between July-September 2019 was 11% higher than the same period in 2018.
However, the government’s completion of new houses in England was criticised this month for being mediocre and of poor design. The audit led by University College London also claimed that 75% of new housing developments should not have received planning permission.
The next quarterly release will be published in March 2020 and will cover homebuilding data up to the quarter ending December 2019.