Real Estate/News
Planning permissions for new homes in England fall 21% in a quarter to 45,315, the fewest since 2012, HBF says
The year to June saw 214,515 homes permitted, 58% of the 370,000 a year the government's own planning framework says it needs. Sites of three or more homes approved: 1,234, the lowest quarter on record. The figures are HBF's reading of Glenigan data.
By Daily Aletheia · Checked against the primary source · 1 October 2026 · 2 min read
The Home Builders Federation published its Housing Pipeline report for the second quarter of 2026 on 30 September. HBF is the house builders' trade body; the figures are its analysis of Glenigan planning data.
The numbers
45,315 new homes received planning permission in England between April and June 2026, down 21% on the previous quarter and the lowest quarterly total since 2012.
In the year to the end of June, permissions were granted for 214,515 homes: the lowest annual total since 2013, down 8% on the previous year and 36% below the 2017 peak. HBF puts that at 58% of the 370,000 homes a year the National Planning Policy Framework identifies as the level of permissions needed to deliver 300,000 net additional homes a year.
Approvals on sites of more than 10 homes fell 21% on the quarter to 39,689, 14% below the same quarter of 2025. Private homes fell 19% on the quarter and 15% on the year.
Only 1,234 projects of three or more homes were approved in the quarter, the lowest quarterly figure on record and 12% below the first quarter; the 12-month total of 5,783 is also a record low. Of the 11,764 projects approved in the year, around half were sites of one or two homes.
HBF's reading
HBF attributes the fall to weak effective demand, constrained access to affordable mortgage lending and subdued market conditions, with rising construction costs, taxes, levies and policy requirements pressing on viability. It estimates the cost of delivering a new house has risen by £76,000 on average since 2020.
The Building Safety Levy, due next month, adds an estimated £2,320 to the cost of a typical new home by HBF's count; its recent survey found 36% of small and medium builders already delaying, redesigning or cancelling schemes ahead of it.
HBF welcomes the first-time buyer equity loan scheme the government announced at the weekend, with the caveat that full details are not yet confirmed, and is pressing for a moratorium on further policy costs while a cross-government review assesses their cumulative impact.
Neil Jefferson, HBF's chief executive: "These figures show a housing pipeline being squeezed to historically low levels, with too few planning permissions coming forward to meet the country's housing needs."