500k homes approved but unbuilt
- A Local Councils Network survey found more than 200,000 homes with valid planning permission across 62 English councils still had not started by March. - Those councils approved 633,010 homes since 2012-13, but official completion data shows only 331,300 were built, implying a 52% build-out rate. - The gap lands as England’s approvals slump and ministers try to speed high-rise signoffs through Building Safety Regulator reforms. (gov.uk)
More than 200,000 homes with valid planning permission across 62 English councils still had not started construction as of March 2026, according to a Local Councils Network survey. (localcouncilsnetwork.gov.uk) The survey said those councils granted permission for 633,010 homes since 2012-13, while Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government completion figures show 331,300 were built. (localcouncilsnetwork.gov.uk) That leaves a build-out rate of 52% in the sample, with 200,500 consented homes not yet started. The same councils are expected to deliver 186,500 homes by the end of this parliament under the government’s revised targets. (localcouncilsnetwork.gov.uk) Council leaders said the main reasons were viability, market demand, developer or landowner behaviour, and missing electricity, water or transport infrastructure. They said councils already approve about nine in 10 applications. (localcouncilsnetwork.gov.uk) The figures cut against the idea that planning consent alone is the main brake on housing supply. In four out of five councils surveyed, the stock of unbuilt permitted homes exceeded the number of homes required under the new targets. (localcouncilsnetwork.gov.uk) National approval numbers are also weak. Home Builders Federation data based on Glenigan shows 242,610 homes received planning permission in England in 2024, the lowest annual total since 2014 and 26% below the 2019 peak. (hbf.co.uk) The same report said just 9,776 sites were approved in 2024, the fewest since the series began in 2006. To reach the government’s goal of 370,000 homes a year, approvals would need to rise 53%, the federation said. (hbf.co.uk) For taller residential schemes, another layer sits after planning permission. Since October 2023, the Building Safety Regulator has acted as the building control authority for higher-risk buildings in England. (buildingsafety.campaign.gov.uk) The government announced reforms to that regulator on June 30, 2025, including a fast-track process, new leadership and extra capacity intended to reduce delays to high-rise projects. (gov.uk) The regulator’s latest update, covering the 12 weeks to March 29, 2026, said it made 284 Gateway 2 decisions with a 67% approval rate. Applications covering 16,721 units were determined, including 10,165 approved units, and the median approval time was 22 weeks. (buildingsafety.campaign.gov.uk) The picture is that England has both too few new permissions and a large backlog of consented homes that still have not started. Permission is still not the same thing as a completed home. (hbf.co.uk) (localcouncilsnetwork.gov.uk)
