Thu, 29 Jan 2026

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 Planning bids for new homes rise in England but building remains low, data suggests

While planning applications have risen, home building has lowered, new data suggests.

* Number of planning applications for new homes in England at its highest level for four years, with 335,000 applications outside London (up 60% from 2024)
* Increase attributed to "streamlining" of planning process and Labour's reforms allowing development on some green belt land
* Every region except London saw a rise in number of homes applied for in 2025, but London saw a fall by almost a third
* New data suggests government has more work to do to meet target of building 1.5 million homes by 2029, with delivery constrained by shortage of construction workers and rising building costs
* Total number of homes registered through Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) in England in 2025 slightly lower than year before
* 99 areas would need to more than double the number of new homes they had in 2025 to meet their annual target this year
* However, 106,700 new homes received first EPCs in second half of 2025 (3,800 more than same period in 2024)
* Final three months of 2025 saw registrations rise by 7% compared with same period in 2024
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