The Local Government Association has claimed house builders are not “keeping up with demand” with 400,000 approved homes still waiting to be built.
New LGA-commissioned research has found that the backlog in unbuilt homes with consent was reduced by just 6,000 in the past year.
This, according to the research, was in spite of councils approving almost 90% of planning applications.
House builders were also found to be taking longer to build out sites, with 27 months on average between planning permission and completion, up two months on last year and up seven months on 2007-08.
According to separate government figures, the number of planning applications dropped by 5% last year.
The LGA represents more than 350 councils in England, and called for the removal of borrowing caps held against housing investment instead of “further meddling” with the planning system.
LGA environment and housing board chairman Mike Jones said the backlog was “a worrying sign that the housing market is not yet on the road to long-term recovery.”
“While there has been progress made, this risks being undermined if we do not find a way to ensure developers keep up with demand. These figures conclusively show that it is not the planning system holding back the building of much-needed new homes.”
chris.berkin@estatesgazette.com
