Number of new homes built sees 25% increase
16/11/2015
The number of new homes built in England in the last year has increase by 25% according to figures from the Department for Local Communities and Local Government.
Changes to law around planning have helped the increase, which is the biggest seen in over 28 years. A total of 170,690 new houses were built, of which 155,080 were new build properties. The number of buildings created through a change of use (such as an office block now being used as apartment buildings) increased by 65% to 20,650. A further 4,950 homes came from conversions, and the remaining 630 were classed as “other”.
Even though the increase is higher than it has been in almost three decades, the number is still well below the prediction that the UK needs to build 240,000 houses a year to keep up with the current housing crisis.
The housing minister, Brandon Lewis, said:
“We’ve brought the housebuilding industry back from the brink, giving them the tools they need to get on with the job and build the homes hard-working people need.
“That includes making it easier for developers to turn underused buildings into new homes, with today’s figures showing a 65% increase in these kinds of developments over the past year.”
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